Sakana Sushi Bar & Japanese

Amazing service with great taste! The food was well-portioned and tasted extremely fresh! I would definitely recommend coming here when looking for a sushi spot. The ambience and atmosphere were also amazing as well! 10/10 experience!

Sat at the bar. Our sushi chef has been there 17 years! Absolutely fantastic food and service. If you love fresh Japanese food this place will become your favorite. Best I’ve had in Santa Barbara area.

Very nice. Great food and atmosphere

Each plate is presented like a piece of art with vibrant colored sauces and subtle additions of flavor. This is a small and attentive restaurant with tantalizing sushi creations. Your line of credit will have to be stretched since it gets very expensive even without ordering dessert. Outdoor seating is spread out to give more privacy at each table. A great place to for date night.

Convenient sushi spot in Montecito! I’ll be honest - the quality here is sub-par. The consistency of the fish and rice makes me skeptical of how fresh the ingredients might be… and for pricing this premium, I’d expect a high standard. The nigiri was passable but even visually disappointing. While the sushi roll plates are a visual spectacle, I found them to be quite theatrical… the quality was totally disappointing and the taste clusters with these random sauces made no sense to me. Purely visual rather than prioritizing quality food. Minimal service, crammed table spacing, and a long wait time for our food sure didn’t help, but nonetheless I appreciate the convenience of this location.

Amazing service and spectacular food!! Definitely a 10+ with the chefs. I suggest sitting at the bar and asking what they (chefs) recommend! You will not be disappointed. Everything ordered was fresh well portioned. Don't forget to order the Toro Tuna sashimi, it's so good it melts in your mouth.

They don’t have their act together when it comes to takeout. Like others experienced they forgot the soy sauce and chopsticks. Fortunately I had my own. Price is ridiculously expensive for small portions. Not sure the chef knows how to make sushi with what I received. Heck I’ve made better sushi aa a beginner. For the price what I received was unacceptable. The miso soup was a very small portion but it was good so I’ll give them that. The cucumber salad was disappointing in every way. It wasn’t sliced like a normal salad and had a terrible taste. Don’t recommend. The California roll wasn’t made properly as it fell apart as soon as I picked it up. That shouldn’t happen at a sushi restaurant ever. The size of the nigiri was embarrassing for them. Look at my photos for proof. They have some nerve selling it like that. Waitress (young woman with super long nails and fake lashes) wasn’t very bright. She literally forgot who I was even though I was the only one who ordered take out and only one with proper PPE. Not happy with my experience and won’t return.

Every time we visit Santa Barbara this place is always on our list of places to visit.

Its Two Star 2uesday! A b'ness associate and I stopped by here for lunch before we went to our hotel in DT Santa Barbara. Unfortunately, the food was not very good. First of all, the chirashi was expensive and the fish was not that fresh. You could tell from the lack of redness on the ahi. The texture of all of the fish was not super fresh, like I am accustomed to. Many of the places I go to source their fish from Toyosu Market in Tokyo. Secondarily, the uni had an off taste, and was sloppily presented. I'm glad I didn't get sick later. The remainder of the items were ok, but nothing special. Regarding the ambiance, its roomy and it has a sushi bar. Nonetheless, we were one of two tables, and they had to seat the party of 5 directly behind us. Our waitress, and the staff were nice. They were the only saving grace of the place. I'm not sure of the allure of this place. The menu is big & complicated, and the fish is not fresh. There is no way I would return.

The variety of options on their menu are great but also make it somewhat difficult to decide on what to order. The habanero melt (yellowtail) was amazing! Our rolls were really good too. I like that every time I come here it's not too packed and we don't have to wait to be seated.

Why is everything mixed with italian. The service is great, the menu huge, but everything seems to be a disturbing hybrid between italian and sushi. I dont want my rice to taste like balsamic or my sushi to be served with pesto. Eat anywhere else

Why do sushi bars use mayonnaise...? At these prices, that shouldn't even be a consideration.

Quite disappointed in this place - I'm confused why it doesn't have a lower rating. I love a strip mall sushi spot but this tasted like midwestern sushi - the fish didn't taste fresh and it seemed like they were over complicating the rolls to cover it up while still charging premium sushi prices. Staff is very friendly though!

After this whole problem that they won't take care of she decided to turn my 00.00 tip into a 20.00 tip on top! Fraudulent. Would not suggest going here. Especially with allergies, as she admitted "they made no sense".

AMAZING SUSHI!! I really love the sauces they use, everything is very flavorful and fresh. The service is consistently good and friendly! Their cocktails are yummy too! Highly recommend!!!

The best sushi I've had in years! I started off with miso soup and the TandT roll it was exceptional with just the right amount of spice the plate looked like a piece of artwork! But I could probably say that about every dish that came out... the Wagyu beef sushi and garlic albacore sushi we're also delicious. Now the owner is a great guy, and his staff is very friendly and welcoming! I'll be coming back!!

Sushi was just ok. Service with attitude (doing us a favor for being there?) and prices are up there for what you get! Rainbow roll was not the best and the vegetable tempura was barely enough for one of us!

Such a genuinely sweet staff, food was absolutely amazing! Also it's a very clean place I was really impressed with our whole expierence. Thanks so much for having us

Sakana is the greatest restaurant in Santa Barbara county. The sushi is fancy and artistic, which might lead some to assume overpriced gimmicks, but all of it tastes incredible with flawless presentation. The staff is attentive, and the ambiance is relaxing and welcoming.

Took my wife here as she was craving sushi post pregnancy. We excitedly ordered two sushi lunch combos. Very horrendous. The first tip off was the very young and non Japanese sushi chefs. I dont mean to stereotype but holy hell... The fish was actually high quality and tasted good but the preparation was like a make your own sushi night. Legitimately i think this may have been the first time the staff made sushi. The rice was not prepared correctly and had a weird hardened texture as if it was old or not steamed properly. It was also loaded with vinegar. The sushi was hacked with a butter knife and many of the pieces were strange to say the least. Completely terrible experience and for the price its baffling. Respect the craft, train your staff, and start over. This is not rocket science 0.4/5 stars. My brother says to try the sushi from Vons next door as they try harder

The best sushi in Montecito, absolutely recommend it. They have a large menu and you can't go wrong ordering anything. The service is great, super friendly and accommodating. I love the local ambiance. Sakana is one of our go-to spots!

ABSOLUTE BEST SUSHI SPOT IVE FOUND. & believe me, as a sushi lover I don't say that lightly. A friend told me about this gem & WOW. Everytime I've gone I have yet to get something I wasn't a fan of. You can taste the quality. Skip arigato, this place is ITTTTT. The rolls are so pretty too. Get the Habenero sauce on the side, it can be pretty spicy!

This is the best sushi restaurant my wife and I have ever had the good fortune to have dined at. Unbelievably yummy. Good service. We live four hours away and whenever we are in Santa Barbara, we eat here. It's just that good.

Literally obsessed!!! Made a last minute stop for dinner on a road trip one Saturday night and stumbled upon this place! Had so many unique amazing options on the menu! Tried as much as my stomach could handle!!! I can't wait to come back and try all the things I missed! It was an explosion of flavor with each dish, I can't even explain it! Make this a stop!

I went here with my sushi obsessed friend over a decade ago and then we came back two times since then. We loved the first couple of visits, ordering creative sushi dishes that were fresh and flavorful. The third time we went a year ago was not as good as I remembered, but I thought it might have been an off day. Gave it one last shot yesterday with some other foodie friends. Not good. My clue should have been that there were no Japanese chefs behind the counter at all anymore. It's not necessary for chefs to be from the origin of the cuisine but for sushi, it usually takes some training in Japan or with a specialized chef. This seemed like they had employees just jump in and do it--no bueno. For the price, it's dreadful. No more chances will be given here.

Just sat at sushi bar for an actual hour without anyone looking up to ask me if I wanted something to eat, but they immediately served Devon with her visibly dirty dog at the bar because she used to work there. As a Montecito local, I advise you to not waste your time at this over-hyped sh*thole. View my picture to see that I was literally the only one at the bar and no one even looked up at me for an hour straight. The drinks guy finally asked me if I wanted something and I explained to him why I was so upset and he told me it was my fault and promptly got me my check without caring to resolve the issue. Go to Sun Sushi instead, they are the best. Sincerely, Sean Urbany

Sushi is so fresh and tasty! They have fast service and satisfaction guaranteed. Will be returning soon!

It's sad to say, it's just not that good anymore. We have eaten here many times and keep giving it another chance. The flavors are weird and presentation is odd. Why is there dill and capers on my salmon nigiri..With a powder truffle zest? It's not right. Salmon skin salad: salmon skin is soft and chewy. Japanese eggplant might have been the worst presentation and preparation I've ever seen. We are unfortunately not coming back. Ownership, management; please eat here. Please be your own critic and read the bad reviews and take this info consideration. Over the years, the quality and flavors have gone down a steep hill. As locals, we want you to succeed. But keep going in this same direction and you'll keep losing customers.

Such a good experience here! Cant wait to come back. We got two sushi rolls and a press box. Our server, Sheena was very pleasant. I would love to come back and be served by her again. Presentation is fabulous and sushi is SO tasty. Great service and ambiance. A very unique experience and can't wait to return. On the more expensive side, however I would much rather come here than Oku and Arigato, which are around the same prices anyways.

First impression of the place was great - very clean, good atmosphere, friendly staff. I should have noticed the first red flag- not one Asian person was behind the sushi bar (no offense to the other chefs). I ordered a tuna roll and a yellowtail roll, both had ground fish inside the rolls instead of the usual sashimi grade. The prices were steep given the quality of the sushi. The sushi nigiri was decent but very over priced. The wasabi was fake- I made what would have been a lethal combo of both wasabi and soy sauce to find that even dipping my chop stick into the wasabi alone wasn't even hot. Very strange, I've never had wasabi not be hot. Overall I won't be going back here given the price versus the quality of food.

Love the food Interesting sushi options with epic presentation Press boxes are all great! I'll always come here for either dine in or take out It's in my neighborhood How lucky am I to?!

Some of the best sushi in town Innovative dishes Very small so not easy to get in, no reservations open for lunch sometimes which is nice

Very confused by the good reviews. I was visiting Santa Barbara and wanted sushi. The food was not good.

Their staffs were super friendly and had great smile. I enjoyed my meal at this place. I would definitely come back soon!

This place was great they have a lunch and dinner schedule, I came over here for dinner. The Lobster rolls and blackened mango was good. The service was also nice, they're not pushy and they interact with their clients quite well. The staff knows how to read their clients I like that. The overall experience was great

this place is like a little slice of sushi paradise that will make your taste buds orgasm! And let me tell you, the sushi chef, Paz, is not only amazing but also quite the looker! Paz, the sushi master, creates edible art that will leave you in awe. His skills quite literally blew me away, and each roll is a masterpiece. Go make a reservation trust me, you won't regret it!

Another beautiful night in Montecito, and a warm and cozy setting sitting outside at Sakana. And the timing was perfect as we arrived for dinner and were able to get seated promptly. Thank you to Marco for keeping the area ready for guests, and for also keeping the space heaters cranked up for our comfort. He was very attentive to us all as we settled in for this Sushi Adventure. As we were seated and going through the extensive menu, our server Brindi started our evening off with answers to all of our Sushi questions, and made some helpful suggestions. Brindi explained the concept of the Press Box Roll . . . and we were sold. Our favorites being the Crispy Rice and Spicy Tuna (with crispy Fillo), and the Mozzarella Red Wine Eel Melt, which at first sounded too over the top for us, and turned out to be incredibly delicious. Yes, we were skeptical at first, but the sound of rock shrimp tempura, spicy basil crab, red wine eel, mozzarella, truffle red wine sauce, and tempura basil leaf all together as one was too hard to pass up. With all this delicious Sushi we decided for a bottle of their French Rose, and it was a perfect pairing with our meal. They also have a very good selection of Sake, beer and other wines as well.

We had lunch there today and it was very mediocre. Usually one of our favorite spots. Spicy tuna roll too spicy to enjoy, miso soup not hot and the teriyaki beef pretty gloppy. Hoping this was just an off day.

I have loved this place since the day it opened. It's been a while since I had time to have a lunch date with my mom, and Sakana was our go-to place. I'm sad to report that the quality of their sushi has plummeted. The tempura shrimp in my blackened yellow tail pressbox roll wasn't peeled. The ahi in my spicy tuna roll was unnaturally red, chewy/tough and frankly just didn't taste good. We each had one special roll, one spicy tuna hand roll, a Diet Coke and ice tea...and it was close to $92 before tip, The service was bare minimum.. I'm really really sad to see that my most favorite sushi place, which I have always voted for in the independent choice awards, will not be getting my vote this year. I don't mind paying the price for exceptional quality, but I would have had better sushi at Sushi Teri in Carp for half the price. I'm writing this review in hopes that this was just an off day for the establishment or as a plea for them to get their quality back to the standard for which I have loved this place for so long. Todays experience was frankly unacceptable. Do better.

Hands down the best sushi in Santa Barbara. Everytime I'm back from San Fran I come craving this place!! So much variety and such amazing service too! My favs STARTERS: - my fav has to be the Soicy sesame octopus salad!! Comes with seaweed and cucumber salad with bits of octopus thrown in there! Perfect to start the meal. ENTREES : - MUST GET the Chilean sea bass entry. It really just melts in your mouth with such incredible flavors. This is a staple every time i come. SUSHI : - I've tried a lot of the sushi offered here, and the list is extensive so I'm not even halfway through all the options but my favs have to be .. - merry go round : comes with scallop, yellowtail and tuna on top and the combo of those 3 fishes is really good ! - white dragon : doesn't come with rice, so it's a lighter sushi and I feel like you're able to taste the fish better - Basil fluke : whether you get the basil fluke sashimi/ nigiri or the press box you REALLY can't go wrong. This is hands down the best combo I've ever had Honestly all the sushi offered here is amazing! Really looking at the menu and dissecting what you personally like is fun, and I promise anything you choose will be delicious and have you craving for more

We had very high hopes for this restaurant based on all the reviews we read on yelp and google. What we actually should have paid attention to was the few negative reviews. Sakana feels like they are pricing their menu in a way that solely capitalizes on the extremely pricey area of Montecito they are located in, not the quality of food they are serving. The first problem was when we ordered the sake. They have 2 prices, for large or small. Common sense would make you believe you're actually ordering a large or small actual bottle of sake. Generally that's 300 ml or 720 ml bottles. However, this restaurant takes a large bottle and pours it into their little carafes and CALLS it a large bottle. Very deceptive and disappointing and the tiny carafe of sake we got which was smaller than a 12 ounce bottle of beer was NOT worth $24. After asking the server she said their small bottle would get you about 3 shots. I'm guessing that's if you're lucky, based on the size of the "large" bottle they served. We ordered the garlic edamame without checking the price and that was my bad, because if I had seen it was $9 we would have passed. The edamame portion was small, and some were warm, most were cold. Not consistent and nothing special. The specialty roll (lobster melt) for $20 was 5 pieces, and signature press box (habanero yellowtail melt) for $19.5 was also pretty small. Both were pretty tasty I'll give them that - but the portions were severely lacking. We ordered a regular salmon roll to try to get a little more filled up but really wish we didn't because it was terrible. Think very sub par to grocery store sushi. It felt like that roll was just an afterthought slapped together. I have to say, maybe we are spoiled with excellent sushi where we live in San Diego and so the reviews for this place are based on just not having any good sushi options in the area, but for a $120+ dinner that whole meal was really worth half the price if being generous.

Amazingly creative and incredibly fresh. Service is also outstanding. Always stop when in Montecito.

This place was DELICIOUS! We got here a little in the later side of things but they served us and did no rush us at all! The server, forgot her name, was very helpful and her recommendations were what made our sushi date SPECTACULAR. I implore you to try the basil fluke, halibut dish the server said was the most popular. We also had the sashimi seared ahi tuna. I ate every single piece of that off. I refuse to share! Cannot wait to come back. Santa Barbara staple for sure!

This Place has phenomenal sushi with exceptional sauces. If you go here you have to get the box rolls and I highly suggest the eel with red wine! Absolutely a great dish.

First time here, sat at the sushi bar and the party started. I started off with the usual yellowtail, albacore, salmon, and tuna sushi just to give the place a taste and was very pleased with the freshness and taste of each fish. All 4 were melt in your mouth soft and no weird fishy taste some places have. After these starter dishes we ordered about 6 more rounds, we mainly asked the chefs to make us what they like and what they recommend. We tried everything from fins to sea urchins and were delighted by each and every piece we tried. I believe the toro and the yellowtail belly were my favorites by far (in terms of straight sushi nothing else). We had a couple of specialty rolls as well and even tried monk fish liver which tasted much anchovies. ‍ try this place out, you won't be disappointed.

Place is postage stamp tiny, about 15 tables and a bar crammed in about 500 sq ft. The size of the menu has the cheese cake factory looking over their shoulder. They lack no spirits outside of sake, cocktails included. To make this simple, everything on the menu is done well, I mean everything. Which is incredible. Not one dish, app or entree sucked. Service is a plus as well. I say come and come often.

Such a great little sushi bar! I found this place on Yelp and my husband and I decided to give it a try last Friday evening. It looked like it gets busy, but luckily we were hungry early. They don't take reservations: it's first-come, first-served, and the entire party has to be present to be seated. There are some tables on a raised dining area and probably 8-10 seats at the sushi bar. We were seated on the bar right away with the menu, which is substantial. They have a bunch of appetizers, some classic nigiri, lots of specials, and tons of rolls of their own creation. It's not super traditional and they seem to capitalise on rolls. But if you know exactly what you like, there are lots of options for nigiri and sashimi, and if you do want something simple they cater to that, too. They also have a great beer and wine selection and tons of imported sake to choose from. First off, the miso soup is excellent. You get a generous serving, and it was very flavorful and well-balanced. My husband and I tend to order the same nigiri most places we go, so we got a couple of the standard nigiri fish options and the specials board. We were seated right by the head sushi chef, who checked in frequently without rushing us and took our sushi orders. I heard the waitstaff checking in with him about special requests throughout the meal and they definitely take their work seriously. The standard salmon was very good, as was the Canadian albacore. The Japanese Kampachi Yellowtail was delicious, super buttery. I liked the glaze on the rice too, it was subtle enough not to detract from the fish and helped everything come together. (My pet peeve is dry rice!) My personal highlight of the meal was the MSC sushi - monkfish pate, Japanese scallop, caviar, sea urchin sauce. It looked like a work of art. Super rich, super buttery, absolutely delicious. Nice space, good ambiance, solid service, and excellent sushi. Recommended!

Hands down some of the best sushi I've ever had! Friendly staff, intimate dining space, always fresh, and beautiful creative plating. The champagne fluke is unbelievable!

This is the only place for us to stop for dinner in Santa Barbara. Amazing selection of fresh fish, great sashimi. I am from Japan and I know what's good sashimi is about. Owner chef is from Japan as well and he serve great sashimi. There's huge selection of menu, it's easy to find even non-sashimi menu. Super kids friendly. Service is always excellent and great presentation, great timing to bring dishes.

Traveling through for Santa Barbara for Gem Show and found this gem. Delicious. Kind staff. Five stars!

BEYOND EXCELLENT FOOD AND SERVICE! GO TO SAKANA!! I have never made a yelp review before and I am unlikely to ever again, but I had to just for this restaurant. After calling 10 different sushi restaurants in the area and begged them to agree to cut my girlfriends sushi on a fresh cutting board because of her allergies (and 10 different sushi restaurants saying they couldn't help me), I finally called Sakana. Not only was the entire staff kind and understanding, but our INCREDIBLE waitress, Sheena, took a list of my girlfriend's allergies to the back and discussed her meal options with the chef. She usually only gets a few pieces of nigiri and a plain roll to avoid all of her allergens, and Sheena made it possible for her to try something new without worrying about what was in it. She took the allergies VERY seriously and talked us through every ingredient of the dishes my girlfriend ordered so we'd know they were allergen-free. Beyond the excellent allergy experience, the food, service, and ambience were EXCELLENT. It's one of those gems hidden in a strip mall where they can experiment with so many different flavors and rolls while still NAILING the classics. I would highly recommend any of the salads as shareable appetizers, they are fantastic. We also had five different rolls with a variety of ingredients, and all of them were truly delicious. I'm only in town for a week, and my family and I WILL go back before we leave. Thank you to Sakara and Sheena for the amazing experience. GO HERE!!

I was introduced to this culinary treasure trove by a friend of mine who was born and raised in Japan. I had never heard of press box rolls before, and now I crave them regularly. It's an absolute dream to sit outside on the patio listening to easy jazz, enjoying the Santa Barbara breeze, and eating some of the best sushi I've ever had. The G.T.S.S. press box roll is fantastic. One of the joys of press box rolls is how the flavors unfold in your mouth. Definitely check out the menu before you go, there are so many tantalizing choices that a preview will make your ordering easier. Fear not if you go unprepared, the staff here is friendly, helpful and efficient. I absolutely adore Sophie, she's human sunshine and she'll make your visit a pleasant one. I can honestly say that everything I've had to eat or drink at this establishment has been delightful. I live in the Los Angeles area and am happy to drive to Santa Barbara just to eat here. There is ample parking. It's convenient to the US 101. The prices are very reasonable given the high quality of the food and service. The restaurant and restrooms are very clean. The photos at their website will make you want to visit as soon as you can. Thank you very much, Sakana!

I luuuuuve Sakana. It's the place for a special and memorable experience. The food is amazing. I always ask for "something special" from the sushi chef. And it's always a incredible experience!! Thank you Sakana!!!

Love this place! But their prices are through the roof now unfortunately...if their prices came back down to what they were a year ago or even just down a bit more, I'd gladly give them 5 stars. But practically double what they were a year or two ago?? Ugh...such a bummer.

I went here almost a week ago on a Friday evening with two other people. The restaurant itself was relatively busy and has a nice atmosphere with the colored lights. The service was not great, however it was late in the evening and we had ordered many things so we let it pass when the waitress forgot two oyster shooters, an eel and avocado roll, and one other roll our table had ordered. The rolls themselves were okay, not my favorite, but then I tend to prefer traditional sushi myself. The crispy rice with spicy tuna was probably my favorite item I tried. Although I thought there was a bit too much cucumber in the seaweed salads, my girlfriend and I thought it was a cute touch that they were served in martini glasses. Overall the dining experience was pretty average. I'm giving one star for the fact that I the uni I ordered and ate alone at my table gave me FOOD POISONING for the first time in my life and I'm not sure I've ever puked so hard.

Found this gem after being stuck in really horrible Santa Barbara traffic on a Friday evening. I was alone so basically walked right in and got seated at the sushi bar. At first I was brought water and a menu. Ordered some miso soup and the vegetarian roll. The soup was brought quickly but the sushi took almost 25 minutes after I ordered. The waiters never came to refill my water. Waited for 10 minutes to get my check even with all the staff talking at the register I was seated 5 feet from. I wanted to see if they would notice I was ready and funny that a waiter not serving my table was the one to help me out. Small portions and mediocre service but outstanding food!

Some of the best sushi we have had. We just kept ordering more and more. The waitress was knowledgeable and very helpful. We will be going again and again.