Sakana Sushi Bar & Japanese — Restaurant in Santa Barbara

Beware- the reviews are very misleading. I would avoid this place and go elsewhere.

Geez, where to begin? Let's start by saying, this is the worst sushi I've ever had, and I've tried a lot of different sushi at various price points. The sushi at Whole Foods is actually better, so that should tell you something. The prices are some of the highest I've seen, yet the quality is incredibly low. So why are there so many glowing reviews?? Something doesn't add up....

First of all, the menu is quite extensive, but not in a good way. The dizzying array of options was overwhelming, and it took my boyfriend and I forever to decide. Second, we were surprised by how high the prices were, but we assumed it meant that the fish would be outstanding. They were a lot higher than usual, even for a high-end restaurant. Third, the flavor combinations seemed a little too eclectic, which caused me to wonder if this place was trying too hard.

My boyfriend and I started with the following nigiri: yellowtail, salmon, king salmon, aburi (fatty) salmon, albacore, bluefin tuna and eel. We also ordered ponzu sauce on the side. The nigiri was absolutely bland and completely lackluster. The fish was chewy and did not melt in my mouth. The sushi rice was awful- dense, flavorless and too thick, which defeats the purpose of having nigiri. It was like eating a rice patty with a strip of fish. Oddly enough, as dense as the rice was, it fell apart and did not hold together like it should. It also had a strange brown color, which suggests that they used balsamic vinegar, instead of rice vinegar. The eel was coated in a red wine sauce which was overly acidic and overwhelmed the fish. Even the ponzu was terrible, tasting purely of balsamic vinegar and lacking a lovely citrus taste. Complete fail.

Next, we had the following rolls: crispy spicy tuna, toro and herbed yellowtail. These rolls definitely tasted better than the nigiri, but only because they were drowning in a bunch of different sauces. We couldn't really taste the fish at all. I will say that the presentation was nice and pleasing to look at, but it was very clear that they were trying to cover up the flavorless fish and bland rice with spicy mayo and soy sauce.

The final item we ordered was the Chilean sea bass misozuke, which is under their hot appetizers. The quality of the sea bass was good, and the texture was quite tender and luscious, as you would expect from sea bass. However, the sauce lacked complexity and tasted too sweet. Also, there were bones in my fish. Considering this tiny appetizer costs almost $20, the least they could do was remove the bones.

The only reason why this place even deserves one star, is because the service is very good. My boyfriend and I came in shortly after they opened on a Saturday evening, and a friendly hostess seated us immediately. Our server (Ana) was very sweet and went above and beyond. The busboy constantly refilled our water glasses. The food came out quickly.

All in all, such a disappointing experience and a complete waste of money. Our bill came to over $200 after tip, so we feel especially angry at the fact that we dumped a significant amount on poor quality seafood. If you don't know what delicious, authentic sushi should taste like, and you enjoy being overcharged for what can only be described as "white people sushi," as it's drowned in heavy, salty sauces, then this place is for you. The owners are trying way too hard to be unique and eclectic, and they're so determined to dazzle the customer with their ridiculous flavor combinations, that they forgot the two most important aspects of a sushi restaurant: high-quality, flavorful fish and perfectly balanced sushi rice. ...

As someone who prefers traditional sushi to rolls, Sakana is very much the opposite of what I typically look for in a sushi bar. It is here that sashimi and nigiri take a backseat to expensive rolls that combine multiple types of fish. Western concoctions like "sriracha cream cheese", "truffle soy sauce", and "habanero pepper aioli" find themselves on nearly EVERY dish, either painted on the plate in squiggly lines or as a fluorescent goo ominously drenching the food like the slime from "You Can't Do That on Television."

Beyond its culture-bending culinary point-of-view, Sakana is a trendy Instagram-darling of a restaurant situated in one of the most posh communities in the country, unapologetically catering its menu and prices towards trust-funders and (occasionally) their truly rich benefactors. This place violates so many of my sensibilities that I should challenge its owner to a Hamilton-style duel. And YET, I gotta be honest, Sakana kinda almost works for me.

Their "Habanero Yellowtail Melt Press Box" was perhaps the richest sushi dish I've ever eaten. What Sakana calls a "press box" is essentially a roll shaped inside a box without a seaweed wrapper. Spicy as it was, this roll featured a bunch of different seafood, and both a habanero sauce and a truffle soy sauce, but it was surprisingly pleasing - both in terms of taste and in terms of its dramatic presentation, which resembled the type of high food art I'd expect at a Joël Robuchon outpost. It was as luxurious and caloric of a sushi splurge as I could imagine.

The "Garlic Albacore Kawari Sashimi" boasted a tasty plate consisting of seared albacore topped with garlic chips, chives, roasted ginger, dijon crab, and truffle soy sauce. The sinfully rich dijon crab-infused truffle sauce stole the show.

What didn't work for me? The nigiri I ordered had rice that was too tightly-packed, and the uni was not great despite being in Santa Barbara. Better than I'd get in most places, but I expect it to be transcendent in this region. Most detrimentally, everything was super expensive.

Attempting to come to a conclusion about this place, I am faced with a dilemma: despite not conforming to my sushi preferences, the food here is quite good and the interaction with my chef at the sushi bar was friendly, informative, and professional - but there are just too many things about Sakana that turn me off for me to recommend it. For an area with other worthy Japanese dining alternatives (such as the outstanding Yoichi's in downtown Santa Barbara), I believe one must really LOVE rolls for this restaurant to...

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...