You can do a lot better, 1/26/2010
Reviewer: Susan Strauss
from Santa Barbara, CA
My son and I went here for lunch and ordered off the lunch specials menu. Meals came with some combo of sushi, sashimi, tempura, miso soup. First came the miso soup....good flavored broth, but that's it, absolutely nothing else in the bowl...odd.
I had the sushi rolls...calif roll...square in shape and rice was an odd color pink (never seen that before)....very sloppily made with crab mixture over-mayoed...yuk. My son had the noodles...bland with one giant carrot and two enormous chunks of tofu,that's it...again,odd! Very overpriced for lunch...maybe I need to try it for dinner.
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best sushi anywhere, 12/24/2009
Reviewer: Kimberly Pratt-Shiber
from Santa Barbara, CA
This place is tiny and does not accept reservations.... but OMG!!! it is so worth any wait.
I've eaten sushi in La and NYC but nothing compares to this lovely little place. Service is always fine.
The presentation of the dishes is what takes this above and beyond.
try the sakana tower... try one of the pressboxes. they are almost too beautiful to eat, but when you do you will be very impressed
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Better than Nobu!!, 9/23/2009
Reviewer: Tiffany
from Santa Barbara, CA
Best Sushi in town.
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Great for eating in... Horrible for taking out!, 5/7/2009
Reviewer: Brian Zant
from Santa Barbara, CA
This is one of my favorite sushi restaurants in town. The rolls are excellent! I work down the street and after I've been working late it's a really nice place to end up. However, if you want to order food to go, look somewhere else. Numerous times I've called to order take-out and have been hung up on or been put on hold forever. It's a real shame because sometimes I don't have time to eat in.
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Best Sushi EVER!!, 3/27/2009
Reviewer: Jennifer
from Santa Barbara, CA
OMG! I can't get enough of this place. The sushi is addicting. Sauces are amazing! Looooove this place!
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Best Sushi Experience in SB Yet, 2/15/2009
Reviewer: S.E.
from Santa Barbara, CA
We're obsessive sushi lovers and attempt to visit as many sushi restaurants in the Santa Barbara area as we can. Sakana is an amazing find! We'd given up on a few, including Ahi, which was always out of advertised specials and sake, and were looking for a new favorite haunt. Sakana has, undoubtedly, the most extensive, creative sushi menu we've yet encountered. The rolls it offers are superb. The wait staff is friendly and professional. Tip: Visit early if possible, especially at dinner because the restaurant fills up fast.
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Amazing!!!!! Can't wait to go back!!
Reviewer: Carrie
from Santa Barbara, CA
This is the best sushi restaurant that I have ever been to...by a mile!!!!!!!
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Best sushi in SB
Reviewer: Anna
from Santa Barbara, CA
The food here is wonderful and the service is excellent. It's a small place though so you may have to wait if you go on the weekend, but it's worth it.
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mmm mm good
Reviewer: Melissa
from Santa Barbara, CA
I've been to sakana quite a few times, never ordered something I didn't like, and have always received attentive and friendly service. I would take someone here for a date- its quiet and romantic without being sappy or obtrusive. The fish is always fresh, the sauces tastefully done, and the presentation imaginative. My advice is to ask for something on the specials menu and see what you get!
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Great food, but service is lacking
Reviewer: James
from Santa Barbara, CA
This is the best sushi in Montecito and almost as good as Arigatos in SB, with fresh and creative food. My only complaint is the service is slow and they are often under-staffed on servers.
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The Best Sushi in the Area . . .
Reviewer: Michael
from New Jersey
The food is excellent . . and the service was friendly & very helpful. As we are always looking for a quality sushi restaurant wherever we travel . . after several trips to Santa Barabara . . we were pleasently surprised to finally find Sakana. We will be back!
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Best first date
Reviewer: Passani
from SB
I love sakana, a hidden gem. Amazing atmosphere.
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Excellent quality
Reviewer: robert
from Santa Barbara
The quality of the sushi here is excellent, both in terms of freshness and presentation. I particularly enjoy the variety of lunch hour specials; sometimes I like a little teriyaki chicken or beef with my fish. The menu offers a lot of options and they always accommodate me with alterations/substitutions. This is a small restaurant compared to most, but that is what makes it appealing as a respite from a hectic day - conversations are at normal volume. I have eaten sushi in Japan and this is just as good. Service is acceptable, but the quality of the fish is what has kept me coming back since it first opened.
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Disappointing Service
Reviewer: Alan
from Carpinteria, CA
My girlfriend and I dine out quite a lot in the Montecito/SB area and this is by far our worst experience. We were at Sakana on 7/2 waiting for seats at the sushi bar and after 15 minutes the power went out (due to the fire as we found out later). The hostess informed us that they were still serving so we kept on waiting. Another 15 minutes went by and 2 seats opened up at the end of the bar. A Japanese woman told us we’ll be seated after the area was cleaned. Another few minutes went by and the Japanese woman sent the hostess over to tell us that they’ll reserve those two seats so that they can hand write receipts. Given the power outage we were being understanding and kept on waiting. After another 15 minutes 3 diners at the front of the bar were leaving so we were excited that after all we would finally get some food. It was not until then that the hostess came over to tell us that they would not be seating us until the power came back on and only if the power came back on – no apology, no offer of any kind after having us wait for 45 minutes. I suppose that decision could have been made and communicated a lot sooner to keep us from standing around for nothing. I can understand an unfortunate situation that was out of their control but the way it was handled left a lot to be desired and showed their complete disregard for customer service. We left and were warmly welcomed at another restaurant.
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Ah-Maz-ing
Reviewer: Rob
from Montecito, CA
I do not eat meat or fish, any kind of flesh, and the employees fully respect that. If I would like to order something that isn't on the menu, they will fully meet my requests. If I want to totally change something on the menu to meet my standards, they will happily oblige. The staff is so kind and the food so enjoyable. My advice, go to Sakana.
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Outstanding!
Reviewer: Kara
from Santa Barbara
I loved Sakana. I don't understand why people would complain about the sauces at all. If sauce is not your thing Sakana offers a large selection of tradtional style sushi in addition to all of Nao's amazing rolls. When I frequent Sakana I enjoy the pressboxes as well as sushi nigeri. The staff is great, it is always a pleasant experience.
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Best in Santa Barbara
Reviewer: catherine
from santa barbara
Sakana has the best sushi in Santa Barbara- hands down- Arigato doesnt even come close.
The only complaint is for them to go easier on the sauce, but if you ask they are happy to oblige!
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