Big Tuna Sushi Bistro — Restaurant in Chico

I’m a little late in my review, but I wanted to be sure to sing the praises of the restaurant.

I have been to some note worthy sushi restaurants in my travels. I will say Big Tuna Sushi Bistro is among them.

The menu easy to navigate. There are familiar classics for those who don’t want to go off the safe known path. And then there are other options for those who are adventurous to explore.

I’ve been to small towns where the sushi has had a fishy taste, signaling it’s been kept too long. However, even though Chico is a college town, quality has not been sacrificed at Big Tuna. This is a credit to their Chef.

Each time I sat in a little corner at the sushi bar to watch the culinary brigade make their specialty. The restaurant was usually packed like sardines. But the Chef’s team is well trained and accustomed to handling a sustained dinner rush. Each offering was beautifully prepared and looked as appetizing as the last. And even through all this chaos, the Chef still took time out to educate me about the fish and the offerings.

Needles to say, the food was delicious. I typically would get the sushi or sashimi sampler. It was the closets thing I could get to an omakase-style offering, aside from their Omakase Roll. Each offering at each visit did not disappoint.

On other visits, I tried various items. The Salmon Bomber roll, the Chico roll, the Italian roll, the vegetable tempura, and the Shishito Peppers are the offerings that immediately come to mind because I ordered them often.

I felt like I was eating the quality of a meal I could get at Uchi, Uchiko, Sugar Fish, and Nobu, all right here in the college town of Chico, CA.

Whatever the magic this restaurant has cultivated here, it is my deepest desire that it supported and cultivated so I may visit it again to have another memorable...

The place was very active at around 6:40 PM, which in theory is always a good thing as far as the food circulates and busy better than empty. A very nice young Lady had mentioned this Big Tuna was a favorite place for her, and also mentioned the Butter Noodles as being extra tasty. Curiosity, of course, got us all to the location. Upon arriving we were seated rapidly in a table for four. Menus were handed, drinks offered, by an energetic bordering on pushy waiter. Hold your horses, man! New to the scene. Food ordered: Ramen $13+, which one third was not consumed, which always looks sad. Chicken skewers $5+? soaked in heavy teriyaki. Small little things, that’s why they were on the small plates section. 6 steamed dumplings $7.50?. Butter noodles $6.50 each, two. Both girls loved them, one asked for one more. In her defense that was her meal. I tried them, thick noodles with a buttery, almost invisible sauce. Fairly popular it seems, I didn’t think so. Two kinds of rolls were ordered, to the tune of $12+. I know one had salmon, rice, etc. I got Calamari fried, which basically was so bad It upset me. Little rings, tasteless with an abundance of a crunchy batter, dried way past approval. That’s when I got up with the excuse of using the restroom, but more to visualize who was cooking. For a sushi place zero Japanese. No finesse in this $8.50 miserable plate. Toasted, almost burnt accompanied with cheap ranch dressing. The second, burned again! JFC Chicken. Slightly better than the calamari offering, but not by much. Inadvertently I asked for two fried blunders. Meanwhile the waiter kept pushing to sell more baloney, or get us out to seat more fans. Disliked him completely. Bill almost $90. Was it worthy? Not in your wildest dreams! Yet place...

I've been going to this place for quite a few years. Used to be consistently very good food and service. For a while I was going at least once or twice a week. Then the expansion happened. I expected some changes and wasn't thrilled the first time I went in after the remodel. Service was less, prices increased, and a serious decrease in quality of their once excellent ramen. I would still go on occasion. Today was the last time. 80% empty this afternoon. Flies all over our table. Terrible waitress who thought she knew how to handle orders. Even though I've ordered the same special roll (that's not on the menu) for years, she made it into a complicated order. So the sushi chef didn't really want to do it. For Pete's sake it was only 4 things, 2 inside and 2 on the outside with sauce on top. First and last time I'll be denied there. Then I ordered an extra nigiri which she wanted to double, so again, not listening.

We were getting ready to pay the bill that was brought to the table.... And the waitress brings another bill and says this is the one you need to pay... with the gratuity already added because there were 6 of us. So I had no option to pay lower than 20%

Enjoy that because it will be the last...