I Love Sushi in Santa Cruz

First time visiting SC. My friends saw the stars on the reviews, so we stopped by for lunch. The restaurant was empty, which was a little worrisome, but we figured its post lunch time, so maybe we missed the rush. We ordered the edamame, and it tasted old and microwaved. It definitely wasnt fresh. The texture was stale, limp, and wrinkled. The sushis that we ordered didnt taste too bad, but we were hesitant about eating the raw meats. The combination boxes that my friends ordered didnt look or taste great either. The steak was most especially dry, overcooked, or old and reheated. Didnt taste fresh at all! Our server lacked serving us (only took our orders and dropped off our food). We wouldnt recommend this place at all!!! If you can, avoid it and dont visit this place. Service is awful and so is the food!

This is a picture of the salmon carpaccio. A substantial portion of it was inedible because it was the underside of the salmon and I could not chew through it. Since I got takeout I called to ask for a refund because at $20, this was a huge waste of money. Esther argued with me for about 10 minutes. First she said she looked at my order and there was no gray part. I told her it was on the bottom so it wasnt obvious at first glance. She then told me that is the best part and a lot of people like it. As in, Im lucky to get it. I repeated it was too thick and chewy to eat. I told her I could send a picture. She said to bring it back to the restaurant if I wanted a refund. She was very difficult. This continued when my husband brought it back. Ive had sashimi, carpaccio, and tataki at many places over the past 20 plus years. Never have I gotten it cut this way (all of it was hard to eat because it was sliced wrong) or with all the underside still on. Im pretty sure they cut it off for a reason. Ive never read a review stating sushi was great because it was extra chewy. I could be wrong, but something tells me she was making that up. Dont waste your money or your time arguing and driving all the way back.

The owners are so nice! The food was absolutely delicious. Highly recommend the heart attack appetizer. miso soup and mochi ice cream was amazing. We will definitely be returning to down town Santa Cruz for this place again

It’s kinda silly that I’m just now posting about I LOVE SUSHI, downtown Santa Cruz… Have been LOVING this place for years. Their sashimi & sushi are STILL one of the BEST in SC. Mr. Kim & Esther are two of the most amazing humans I’ve ever met. David, one of their long-time servers, is simply World Class. Especially HUGE fan of the salmon sashimi (premium quality), Tiger Roll, Lemon Drop Roll…all of their rolls, really. Everything is done with a perfect balance. Excellent fish selections & quality + spot-on, well-balanced w yummy sauces, ROLLS. LOVE THEIR ROLLS. I’ve ordered delivery too. Absolutely perfect. EXCELLENT PRICES. LOVE THIS PLACE. ❤️

I would leave a 5 +++ stars if I could! The staff is amazing, so nice and welcoming, as friendly as you can get, if you like sushi this is a must! Sashimi convinced me straight away, I havent had such great sashimi for a long time. Special rolls are so tasty, an amazing perfect quantity between fish and rice. Great environment, we had some freebies on the house! I was so impressed with the food that I only remember to take photos too late, but I will be back and will take some photos next time!

Went for dinner yesterday with my wife and 4 yr old son. The place is very clean and fairly busy. Didnt have to wait for a table. Customer service is top notch. Our server Danielle brought us extra napkins without us asking which is a huge plus. Our drinks never went below 1/4. Presentation of the rolls are excellent, taste is also excellent. Nothing to complain. I suggest eating dinner at I Love Sushi to anyone. The I Love Alaska roll is the best roll Ive ever eaten...

Sushi rolls were amazing! Very fresh tasting and the staff were all very nice and helpful. We ordered the Kamikaze roll & Sake Bomb roll.

Visiting SC and this place had SO many good reviews, my coworkers and I wanted to check it out. Only eat the cooked fish sushi. The garlic/teriyaki edamame was mushy, and tasted like high fructose corn syrup. The staff was very nice but only took an order and dropped off food. We wanted so much more from this place based on reviews! Hate to leave a negative review but could use some feedback.

Sadly, I love sushi is not what it used to be. I am not sure if it’s under different management but the food is now poor quality— not good at all. Additionally, they no longer offer the complimentary sushi and cucumber. The lunch box no longer comes with soup and the price has more than doubled. Never ever going back again.

Im from Richmond, Ca and usually when I know Im visiting Santa Cruz Ill be sure to stop here! My favorite sushi place! Most sushi places wont greet you with 2 rolls, cucumber, edemame, and miso soup this place does and if your getting alcohol the owner will bring a hot sake on the house! So welcoming and great business! The food is great just like the service.