Umi Sushi & Sake — Restaurant in Morro Bay

I seriously can't understand how this place has a 5 star rating. It is what lured me into the place along with the raving reviews. This place was an utter disaster from the moment we walked in. You take an elevator to the second floor where you are met with a tight space, podium in your face and drink fridge crammed into the walk way. There was only 1 couple that was there and when greeted by the waiter he mentioned he was the only server working. We didn't think that would be a big deal since there was only 1 other table. Drinks should always be the 1st thing taken care of, and the fact that we weren't given waters until our first roll arrived was frustrating. Especially when we can hear the server chatting it up with the sushi chef. The first roll was a spicy shrimp crunch which was on the tempura menu. My husband typically will only eat the deep fried rolls, myself I like them all. However this was not a tempura roll, it simply had tempura crumbs placed on top, and the eel sauce we asked for had the strangest taste, like ash and BBQ. It was tolerable however. My edamame i ordered with my waters, didn't come out until the second roll came out. To be honest I'm sure they were microwaved due to how soggy they were. The second roll which was the las vegas roll was horrid. Normally a las vegas roll is deep fried and/or fully cooked. This had a MOUND of sticky raw spicy tuna on top. I took a bite of it crossing my fingers for a pleasant taste and was rudely awakened by the vomit that entered by throat as I tried to swallow. This was the worst sushi experience I have ever had and it was extremely disappointing considering this is right on the water. I did approach the server and let him know that we were unhappy with our food and to please remove it from the bill. We then left to Giovanni's which was amazing!!! They have the best fish and chips and are a great price, can't beat 5 pieces of fish and...

Sushi chef (younger male) is not hospitable and extremely rude when you try to speak with him. Why else sit at the sushi bar if you can't talk to the sushi chef, but here I have yet to be able to ORDER from the chef and have never been greeted. I've gone here while being the only patron and when there were 3 others at the bar. We all commented on the staff and inability to order. Rude is an understatement.

On the positive. Happily surprised with the quality of the fish here. I had the small sashimi platter and rainbow roll. The fried salmon skin hand roll was crispy and delicious. And the quail egg shooter was presented in a champagne glass. My friends had a few rolls and scallop nigiri and it was like butter melting in your mouth it was so good. They brought us a truffle sauce and Japanese sauce which were tasty and so glad they let us try it. We were also given REAL wasabi. I've never had it the way they presented it, but it was definitely fresh and had a good kick to it. Will definitely be going back to try more fish!!!

I've gone here several times in the last month to see if I get a different experience. Sadly, no change. Will sit at a table from now on because the food...

Upon arrival, we were told the wait would be about 30 minutes for a table or to sit at the sushi bar. We said we would like to sit at the sushi bar. After 30 minutes I asked how much longer for the sushi bar, considering there were and had been 5 empty seats during the 30 minutes. We were finally seated and the server brought 2 dishes, 2 napkins, and two sets of chopsticks and put them stacked together off to the side of where we were sitting for us to distribute. Our server was efficient but not helpful when asked questions or for advice. The sushi chef in front of us never communicated with us, leaving the server to take our orders. The rolls we ordered were large but lacked a little taste, needing a more flavorful sauce or topping. The rolls and teriyaki were well made. The restaurant was attractive inside. Our overall experience was positive but really lacked personal attention, warmth, and direct contact. I thought the prices were reasonable. I also think the restaurant is over rated based on our total experience. Good enough to try again, but not like the service and attention of the many, many sushi restaurants we have been to...