Sushi Roku Santa Monica — Restaurant in Santa Monica

We came to the restaurant around 1:30 pm on a Saturday afternoon, and ordered ice water, pork belly fried rice, chicken fried rice, and a New York cheesecake.

Somehow the ice water, which we expected to be served right after we were seated, didn't come until we finished our fried rice : / (We probably should have asked -- we were involved in some chatting at that time. But in nearly all the restaurants we've been to, cheap or expensive, we were served water right after we were seated.)

The portion of the fried rice was a bit small for people like us who have big stomachs, and the taste was a bit too salty. The rice didn't taste like it was freshly cooked, as it tasted a bit mushy (probably because we came at the tail end of lunch hour : /). All of us did enjoy the half-cooked eggs :)

The cheesecake took a while to reach our table, and was somewhat hard, dry, bland, weirdly lukewarm, and overall difficult to eat. If it was not for the fruits that came with the cheesecake, we probably couldn't have tasted any sweetness or sourness.

On top of that, the price was unreasonable -- $75 for 3 below average meals (including tax and tip) : / (We did finish all the food, not because the food was tasty, but because we were super hungry at the time and because the food cost $75...)

Overall, the atmosphere of the restaurant felt quite authentic -- I especially liked the sabutan cushions at our table. However, we didn't feel the nice atmosphere of the restaurant was enough to compensate for the unreasonable price and poor quality of the food and service, which are what customers really care about.

What a...

Trendy sushi restaurant in the heart of downtown Santa Monica. Came here with a friend for lunch on a Thursday around 11:45am and was greeted immediately. The host asked if we had reservations (we didn’t) and then asked if we wanted to sit inside or outside. We chose outside and it’s a covered area with open windows that let the breeze in (super nice to sit in). The waiters were really quick about checking in on us, and luckily there are lunch specials to avail of on weekdays. I went with the executive bento box which came with a miso soup as an appetizer (served very hot with no spoon - really good for when you’re a bit stuffy) and chicken karaage, miso eggplant, Panko shrimp, seaweed salad, cooked salmon, and sashimi (6 thin pieces with wasabi on the side). There was a mayo based sauce and a katsu sauce on the side as well but I did have to ask for soy sauce for my sashimi. It was super filling and to my surprise, I liked the miso eggplant the bases. Really good flavor and cooked just right where it was mushy or soggy. The chicken karaage was piping hot and the shrimp was perfectly fried all over. The salmon portion was a bit small and the seaweed salad was alright. The portion of white rice they provided was generous. Overall it’s a pretty trendy place so prices reflect that, but the lunch special ($19) made it a more...

It's an upscale spot. I came in for the Happy Hour, 4-6 on Saturday.

Christian was our bartender, on point, very accommodating, and had some stellar suggestions for food and beverages.

Made us a drink called The Slope: gin, aperol, lillet, lemon and orange curacao

Brussels Sprout Chips are light and airy, crunchy. Just the right occasional bite of salt. Not overbearing at all. It's a decent sized bowl.

Hanabi Crispy Rice is a one bite delight for sure. The yellow tail is smooth and Fresh. Paired with the crispy rice, you get texture and taste all in one. 4 pieces.

Japanese Fried Chicken: the presentation is nice. My only gripe is that the chicken inside seemed just a bit too stringy for my liking. It's still good. I think how the chicken is cut before they bread and fry it makes a huge difference. Seems like they cut it with the grain, not against the grain.

Anyways, I would finish with the Chilean Seabass Skewer. 1 skewer per order, cut into 4 thumb sized sections.

Buddy of mine ordered the Old Osaka, which is kind of like an Old Fashioned. Traditional, with a bit of a kick, and not as much of a sugar aftertaste. It's also been described as "An old fashioned with Japanese Whiskey. 1/4 oz sugar, and dashes...