Seabutter - Westlake Village — Restaurant in Thousand Oaks

We were able to experience this new location during their soft opening for my birthday with some family. There were six adults total and we arrived just a little after opening since they were not currently taking reservations.

We were seated right away with no issues, they pushed a two top and a four top together and we're super nice. The location is rather small on the inside but they do fit in a decent amount of seating. We were sat right by the door so it was a little cold (rainy out) but not a big deal.

In terms of service everyone was nice and able to explain dishes to various people in our group as well as accomodation our vegetarian with a veggie "sushi" plate (carrot on rice sushi, avocado on rise and one other as well as a little bit of mushrooms and a veggie roll). This was not on the menu but our server offered it right away which was very nice.

Our "bus boy" was who we had the most contact with and who checked in on us the most. Super friendly and fun dude and a great addition to their team, I wish I would have gotten his name. But found him to be the most helpful of the folks there.

Food was good overall with our least favorite things being the classic pieces of sushi. Sadly the few pieces we got were chewy which was a surprise since the pieces of fish as a part of our other dishes were good (maybe bad luck). The "Emma" sushi was interesting and pretty tasty.

Our rolls (sunset and three others) were interesting and very good as was the sashimi dish we got (a tuna with truffle and mushrooms).

One couple in our group got the sea bass and thought it was very good as well.

Dessert options are currently limited to a few ice cream flavors (since we were there for a birthday celebration we were hoping they had something good or interesting or would say happy birthday or something.. but not so much). Not a big deal, don't typically expect a ton of dessert at sushi spots but thought their other locations offered more choices (but could be wrong), just a note. We headed to another spot for treats after.

Overall we would definitely go back, service was very good and there were a lot of unique rolls and dishes to try. If we were looking for just straight classic sushi there is another local spot we would probably go to but this was great for the variety and delicious combinations of flavors!

Bill was under $300 for six adults (one couple shared a main though and only two people got alcohol, one drink each) and some teas and one soda.

Photos of most everything except the sea bass and...

Went here because they reportedly had a proper Gluten free menu, which they did. Only problem was, well… actually there was a bunch of issues.

When we got there around 4:30 PM, they asked if we had a reservation. We didn’t, so they asked us to sit at the edge of the bar by the front entrance, high traffic. It was a date meal. And by the time we left, many tables were never sat. So, they prefer not to give people tables if they have no reservation, even if it isn’t busy.

Portions were small, price was sometimes double for the same menu items at other sushi restaurants in town. Essentially you’re paying twice as much for half the food. GF item modifications is listed as an additional $1-4 per item, I think it was $4 we ended up paying for each item…

Salmon & Avo: The fish wasnt good, they somehow seared it so all I could taste was the iron of the pan. And the avocado was a tiny sliver buried under the rice.

Polar Bear: Tastiest thing we got. But it’s 75% lettuce. And a small portion. Not worth the price.

Rainbow Roll. Closest thing to an actual decent Rainbow roll at other restaurants, not amazing though. Couldn’t taste the crab. And it was about $20. Why?

Service was weird. There are not that many tables and it wasn’t busy, but they seemed to be running around but not getting much done. Three employees at one point were standing shoulder to shoulder at attention, waiting for dishes to come out while I was trying to get anybody’s attention to give me tamari sauce so I could start eating. (They gave my partner tamari, but not me). It seems like their staff is not well organized and don’t quite know their designated roles, maybe it’s the training by management?

I ordered a fourth roll, but they misheard me, brought the wrong one, then never asked if we wanted something else. In the end, I was glad I didn’t pay for a fourth. Their gratuity starts at 18% unless you take the electronic pad from the server and enter 15%. I felt like I should’ve walked out, but I was so hungry and didn’t want to be rude to my partner so I just paid and left still very, very hungry.

Honestly, worst sushi experience I’ve ever had. The three rolls and one small sake cost $85. They got two stars instead of one because of that gluten free menu. But I still would never consider coming here again.

I also get the extra effort needed to prevent cross contamination, but when they charge you $4/plate more to eat because you’re celiac, it just feels exploitative.

We both left and went to Shake Shack....

Rude and disrespectful behavior towards frequent customers.

This is a restaurant we visit 1-3 times a week. Always spend anywhere from $150-200 per visit. And we’re in and out within 30 minutes. We’ve come to look passed the fact that they can never accommodate us on short notice, accommodate 1 extra person, or rarely acknowledge us as people who frequent the restaurant often. The food is worth it. Business is business. I get it.

But today was very unacceptable in terms of service. We invite 4 friends for a birthday lunch, so 6 of us in total. 2 of which are from out of town so we rarely get to enjoy their company. Reserve a table at 12:30. Start off with some appetizers and drinks. Order a couple rounds of sushi. And the second the last item arrives we’re presented with our check, which obviously we pay immediately. Just under $500 all said and done.

At this point it has barely been over an hour since we first sat down. It had been at most 10 minutes since we finished the food . We’re sitting there catching up for a few minutes, and all of a sudden we’re interrupted and told there’s another reservation coming in and we need to leave because they need the table.

Why would a restaurant schedule “large” parties back to back at the same table with such a short period of time in between? I’d understand if we’d have been sitting for 2+ hours or something, but hardly over an hour? Really? At the time, there were most definitely other tables which could accommodate another group of 6. There was another 8 party table that wasn’t asked to leave.

Disappointing for a restaurant we frequent so often to treat us like that. We’ve already canceled our Valentine’s Day reservations and have a hard time convincing ourselves we’ll be back there. Especially with so many other equally good sushi spots in the area. We’ll be happy to take our...