The food is good but there are better sushi places in Santa Barbara
The food is about what you would expect for a walk up and order restaurant, not bad at all if you like Japanese style food, but also nothing you will be telling your friends about tomorrow. The problem with this place is the service. Twice in seven visits the staff has mixed up our dine-in order as a takeout order. It wasnt until we realized we had been waiting too long and asked where our food was, that our order was discovered in a stack of take out orders waiting to be picked up. I understand that everyone makes mistakes, but this is a systematic problem. In this most recent instance, the couple who ordered right before us for dine-in saw what happened to our order and discovered their food getting cold in the takeout pile as well.
Always a satisfying stop. Always a interesting roll to try. The Gyoza always hits the spit.
Always a very long wait to order/pay even if you place a to go order ahead of time.
Had the Assorted Sashimi Salad. It was fresh, well portioned and delicious! More food than I was expecting for the price.
My sushi roll had rice only towards the end of the roll. I might as well call it a rice roll not a sushi roll. Often time this happen when the restaurant is trying to save money on food.
We ordered through door dash and either door dash or the restaurant screwed up the order and we only got one of the 5 items. We called the dasher and they said we had to call the restaurant so we did and they were very rude then hung up on us multiple times while we tried to sort out how to get the order corrected. I understand that door dash is a middle man but you think they would want to at the very least try and make it right.
The food is really good but the costumer service it’s really bad to be honest, we got our food for to go, and we ask if our order have utensils and napkins, and they say yes, and guess what the was nothing.
I ordered through door dash. 2 of the 4 items that I ordered arrived. The door dasher said on the phone she couldn’t help me and I had to manage it through door dash. The app glitched out, so I called the store. They spoke in broken English and then hung up on me. Wow.
Simple delicious!! and good prices! ❣️
This was my first time at this sushi place, and I wanted to try it out bc I heard good reviews on how cheap they were. They have competition bc there are plenty of sushi joints in the area, however, when I went to order I asked for help with the menu on what is the best and the lady didnt suggest anything. She looked like she wanted to ring me up and be done with it instead of suggesting a few of their populars or daily specials. I ended up ordering two special rolls and my total came up to $26.67 with having to order under the eyes of the lady at the counter. As I was waiting for my food, I noticed that there was a daily specials board and there was a california, spicy tuna, cucumber roll with a soda and miso soup all for $11.99. She could have suggested that to me to get things moving instead of waiting while I struggle for whats best. I then asked if I could get that instead if they havent completed my order and she had attitude and said my order is already done and pushed it to me without saying anything else. I suggest that she be fired before she runs this business down, since the owner probably doesnt know whats going on with customer service when theyre not around. This was the first and last time I will be at this place, the sushi looks rushed anyway since it took 2 minutes to make.
Coming into this establishment, Youll notice you go up to the counter to order. There are several sushi rolls to choose from. After we ordered, we received an order number to take to our table. We didnt have to wait too long before receiving all the rolls.They came pleasantly presented with a side salad.Each roll was flavorful and perfectly sauced.I would come back here when we are back in the area.
For the price, its great sushi. The Tempura crunch roll, spider roll and CA rolls are my favorites there. Comes with a salad.Service has always been good. Try the spicy mayo, eel sauce and of course wasabi and soy sauce.Seating inside can be a bit small but the outdoor seating is better. At night the outdoor heaters keep you toasty. But bring a coat just in case.
Food was cold and undercooked. Waitress was very rude. Tables are small and barely fit one plate, yet as the woman brought each dish over, she placed it on too of unfinished plates. Portions of food were unbalanced. Side salad and rice-which were not in the order description- dominated the plate, whereas the main entree was small and messy. Do not recommend eating here.
Busy, but still great service and speed. Ordered tonkatsu and lots of sushi rolls. Very quality and delicious. Easy to eat too much. Great way to dine before a movie!
In the plaza by the movie theater. One of the people behind the counter is rude, no doubt. Weve been twice and its not that shes just having a bad day.Check out the whiteboard by the register for specials. For prices and special rolls, theres a folding paper menu on the counter by the register.They have sushi, udon, gyoza (pork and chicken mix, here), tempura chicken cutlets, chicken teriyaki miso soup... Sapporo, sakes, fountain drinks, and more. The flavor is comparable to other Japanese restaurants Ive tried in California. The tea is bag tea, though, not a house/family blend.This little place gets busy quick and theres only one register, so come early before the dinner rush. The ordering system is counter style, but then youre through the line youre free to select a table. Our order came out in less than 10 minutes, but we showed up right before the rush (set your expectations realistically).They have had to raise prices due to covid, unfortunately. But they still get busy and have some limited seating out front thanks to the spacious plaza.
Horrible service, they even offered me a free Teriyaki bowl if I gave them a good review. They specified that it had to be a good one, even though my honest opinion was not good. I refused because I was done eating already. Now on the food, the salmon on my roll was discolored and tasted as if it had been sitting out for a long time. The miso soup was over salted, I did not finish half of my small bowl. Next, the staff was very rude to me when I asked them for the simplest help. The restaurant was overall dirty and most of the tables did not get bussed throughout my whole time eating. When I asked for the supervisor, he was also very rude to me and he told me if I didnt like it, not to come to his restaurant. I do not recall his name, but he was a caucasian gentleman with brown hair and a cross chain. He looked like a soundcloud rapper, cubic zirconias and all. Honeslty, I did not expect him to be in charge. Later, I was told the owner lives several hours away which is probably why the store does not get the attention it needs. Personally, I hate to give this place a 1 star review because I am a good person, but I have to be honest here. I highly DO NOT recommend going to Sushi Ai. Originally, I came because I saw it had decent reviews, but now I think I know why. 2 thumbs down.
I ordered a sashimi salad by phone. Went to pay by card and they charged me twice with two different amounts. The manager was not on duty that night, I will have to drive back there to talk to him tomorrow. How inconvenient this is.
Overpriced for really poor-quality fish. Im pretty sure my piece of tuna was dyed pink. Go somewhere else.
Decent quality food with adequate service in a casual walk-up environment. The Salmon teriyaki was overcooked, but the price was right so I cant complain. The bento box option provides a lot of food at a fair price. Its exactly what you would expect from a strip mall fast food Japanese restaurant.
Ordered through Door Dash (but door dash would only let me leave a 5-star review smh). The delivery was fine but the food was disgusting. Microwaved food tastes better. Tempura Udon is usually my favorite food in the world but I took one bite of this places and threw the rest out. The vegetables were completely wrong and not at all authentic. In addition, they were about 10x as big as they should have been. The tempura was disgusting and again the vegetables used were not at all like whats in authentic tempura. A waste of time and miney
Staff friendly. Nice atmosphere. Food is variable; the seaweed wrapping the rolls feel rubbery. This odd chewy texture detracts from the experience. Rolls with little seaweed are good, otherwise its overwhelming.
I wanted sushi ordered from a young lady there she thought I wanted Sashami but Jose said no sushi. I said I wanted 6 pieces of that. We went onto our order. I received my seaweed and regular salad my BF had the Bento box. We waited and waited finally my BF went to counter to find out where my sushi was. She said she was confused and didn’t order anything, so my BF ordered. Knowing they made a mistake you would think they would get my sushi to me. We waited almost 35 minutes and watched 10 customers get served. You could hear the young lady and Jose arguing as to whom was going to bring me the plate. Jose brought me a Shashimi salad. I said it’s not what I wanted. After eating only the tuna on top. We went to the counter to talk to Jose. Not only was he extremely disrespectful to me and said I was loud he accused my BF and I for making the young lady cry. We never said anything to her. Jose said he was the Manager. Let me tell you he didn’t offer an apology and after the talk he said he was even thinking of refunding us but didn’t. The worst customer service with uneducated college kids. I do Marketing in our Healthcare System. I’m all about Customer Service and people. I will take my business elsewhere where your treated with respect and dignity.
I really like their teriyaki chicken bowls ($7) and my friends seem to like the actually sushi well enough. My only complaint is that for some reason they dont give you eating utensils with your food. Theyre up near the counter but I always forget to grab them and then I have to go get them.
The teriyaki bowls are pretty good and the tempura make a good side if you are too hungry for just the bowl, but not hungry enough for the bowl and a sushi roll.The service is usually good and when its empty the food comes out quickly.
Ordered on ubereats, got the bento box which is supposed to include miso soup and got tempura veggies instead. The salmon on top of the philly rolls was warm and overall the food was just underwhelming. The gyoza was the only thing I enjoyed
Sushi and a fast food atmosphere are not for all. If you dont have the time for a real restaurant this will do for sure.
Chicken Udon were very very bad made. A few udon watered down in a bowl of nothing but big chunk of veggies and a little bit of chicken.. Gyoza were good. The guy at the cashier did not know if they had lemonade or not maybe at the soda fountain he said ... no bottles of water available in the refrigerator.
I ordered the salmon roll which basically fell apart once I touched it with my chop sticks. Then upon eating the salmon wasnt of the best quality and was warm to to top it off along with the cucumber which was not fresh
Its taken a hit in service. Ordered lunch special 5 with two hand rolls.Bulgogi was more a soup than bowl. Meat was dry.Forgot cali roll.Just no worth coming back. Visited 1/8/18
Worst sushi Ive ever had. Smelled fishy and the could only force 3 pieces down my throat, I didnt want to get sick but my husband did. Will never go back.
I like this place but they were overwhelmed when I was just there. nobody took my order so I left, even though I was craving one of their chicken bowls and was willing to wait 10 min before sayin f it.
I love this place! Especially the price is so reasonable👍 I tried philadelphia roll, shrimp tempura roll, Bulgogi bowl+California roll combo and all of them tasted good😄
Worst customer service ever, mean waiter\cashier. I walked in today, 7/05/2021, at around 8:40. The shorter girl really treated me like enemy the day after 4th July :)
I like the fried shrimp tempura with udon soup
Very nice customer service during Pandemic in February 2021. I find their restaurant to be very convenient, as they make your to-go order very quickly, and the food quality is consistent.
Excellent food and service. Very fresh and flavorful. My favorite place for sushi. Their soups, tempura and teriyaki are good too.
I really enjoyed the food here. Would most definitely come back again! This is a grest place for fast service but good quality food.
Ask for the specials! Lots of good food for a great price.
Wow, this food rocks, sushi is big and super tasty, and service very friendly. Ill go back every time Im in SB.
Its just ok. I came in and got their lunch special chicken bowl with california roll combo. The chicken was very low quality. Very chewy and fatty.
I ate here maybe 5 times. Mediocre sushi at reasonable prices. Last time there I got sick though. I’m not going back.
Generic Japanese, but well executed. California roles are uninspired, but fresh and decently made. Bulgogi bowl is a little bland, but not offensive. Portions are typical fat american friendly.
Food is fine..but they get the takeout order qring 4 our of 5 times ..def open every box before you leave
If you’re the owner please reach out to me, you have a really serious management issue
Bento box is awesome salad rice miso chicken teriyaki and cali rolls. Good value. Stop in and give it a try.
I like coming here for some a quick bite of Japanese food. The bento box options are awesome deals with the amount of food you get!
I had the rainbow roll, it was served with a small salad and was very tasty. A good sushi place for people new to sushi.
Not the best sushi but a fantastic salmon salad and great bowls
The food is really good and the service is fast and great
Love their fire roll. They give you a ton of awesome sushi. Poke bowls are great too.
Folks were courteous especially the server name Riva. Smiling. Friendly. Prompt.
Great sushi, I recommend the Philly roll. Monday they have hand rolls at half price.
Had the daily lunch special, it was very good
Food just ok, I would only eat here if I really hungry and doesnt feel like driving to another Sushi place.
Great California rolls, great sushi for a cheap price. Overall great.
Great phoooodddd and good service
Worst teriyaki ever and it took like 45 mins to make 2 bowls
Good sushi value. Miso soup is very weak, but everything else was delicious.
It can get chilly but the foods good, nice spot for lunch
One of my favorites, fun to sit out and watch all the people.
To food was a little bit warm but really good and fast thank you
I love the vegetarian tempura sushi, with salad, and a bowl of miso soup.
I ordered udon at that place. Chicken was over fried and soup was full of black powder from burnt chicken.
I really like this restaurant. Foods good!
Food arrived quickly, and it was cheap and portion was big.
Great rolls w/ outdoor seating options. Great for lunch
Good food. Trying hard to get up to speed post covid
The price is decent and the food is very good.
Very good sushi. Love the California rolls there.
Horrible service, take phone calls while customers are waiting in line
If you like good Japanese food this is not the place!
Out of some products, but counter help always makes me smile..
Good food. Service is a little spotty at times.
Ate a lot if vegetablez and feel wealthy ;)
Fast and Casual Sushi I am consistent customer.
Two dollar hand rolls on Monday. Bring cash!
Great quality and quantity
Small but good food.
Yummy sushi. Good specials. Good prices.
Good food
As good as any place
So far so good
Awesome best ever
Very delicious sushi
Good rolls.
No.
Awesome Food
Great sushi!
Not for me
Yummy sushi
Its good when its good!
Rich and comfortable price
Total reviews rating 3.8
103 Reviews for Sushi Ai 2024:
Review №1
2023-07-21 04:48:48This place is very unique. They have no prices listed on the menu board. The lady that waited on me was very nice. I got the three-piece combo with chicken teriyaki, California roll and gyoza. It comes with salad, white rice and miso soup. Its a lot of food for around twenty bucks. I easily split it with my son. Overall definitely a good place for quick Japanese food. Well be back.
Review №2
2023-06-17 02:36:56Pretty good sushi but pricey for an order at the counter kind of place. Tiger roll was tasty.
Review №3
2023-07-20 17:59:14Takeout order. Food was good and was ready on time.
Review №4
2023-10-16 02:23:45Came in here because our little one was craving sushi, we stopped by ahi sushi because we found it on maps it was our first and last time going there. They took over 30 min to do 1 California roll and a teriyaki combo absolutely absurd, quality is ok, prices aren’t bad, but if your looking for a better service Los agaves and mesa burger have much faster service and are right next door even when busy, especially if your little ones are hungry and don’t like to wait so long. Definitely not worth the long wait !
Review №5
2023-09-13 07:06:07We have been here many times and My favorite roll is always NUMBER ONE ROLL, Spider Roll. Now, I find my second favorite roll is Dragon roll without avocado as I can request NO AVOCADO. 👍!It is a nice touch that they add a little side salad alongside the roll. Forgot taking a picture 😂. Will update the picture next time. Monday, there is a special price on Hand Roll.
Review №6
2023-01-04 06:11:30Food is usually good but last time I ordered takeout the Styrofoam container had a hole in it where it touched the fried fish so I couldnt eat the item.. Please be careful when handling hot items, consider a temperature safe alternative to styrofoam..
Review №7
2023-09-19 03:24:58Ordered delivery, only found out when it arrived that a la carte sushi is $8 for only two pieces, insanely overpriced. Food tasted fine, but assuming you dont want to end up hungry, go or order somewhere else, like Sushiya in Isla Vista.
Review №8
2023-07-24 21:31:25Horrible, sad excuse for sushi. Never seen such a poorly wrapped hand roll. Beware this over priced place doesnt list their prices. Do yourself a favor, skip this place!
Review №9
2019-01-28 18:43:47A nice little spot in Goleta. Tasty and and nice patio to sit outside and relax. It sits in the marketplace so it’s close to shopping and movie theater.
Review №10
2023-01-30 14:35:08Its kind of like a fast food sushi place, its pretty good really. They have a special on hand rules on Mondays and thats a great time to go. Plus its in a shopping court near Costco and home Depot so its a great place to get a little snack when youre out there.