What a pleasant surprise!!! I was driving from Watsonville back to San Jose and was hit hard with lunch time hunger. I made a last minute decision to exit the 101. I pulled into this shopping center and stumbled upon this restaurant. I had no expectations and was going in completely blind. Upon entering, I was greeted by a very friendly hostess. She said that I could pick anywhere to sit. I almost sat outside in the patio area but instead I elected to sit at the sushi bar so I can watch some sports on the TVs behind the bar. The server was very pleasant and brought me a glass of water and complimentary edamame. I thought to myself: so far so good. I decided on the lunch combo with three entrees. My selections were Tuna Sashimi, Salmon Nigiri and Salmon Teriyaki. Along with an a la cart order for a Salmon skin hand roll. When the food arrived I was surprised at the quality and presentation. The combo was $22 but I paid an extra $6 for the nigiri and sashimi. The salmon hand roll was $10. The meal also included miso soup. Overall everything was excellent and tasted VERY fresh. And for the price the portion was very nice. I highly recommend this place if and when you’re in the Aptos area. Two gigantic thumbs up for this hidden gem.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sashimi, Salmon Teriyaki Bento, Edamame, Salmon Skin Roll
Jim Sturdivant
Sushi was great, service was fast and excellent.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dwight Lynn, CSP, LUTCF
This is our go-to place for Sushi.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stephen Temple
I say this with some hesitation, as my son worked at Sushi Garden in Capitola while going to school. In thankful for that. However, having since moved to Aptos I started frequenting Imura Japanese Restaurant in Watsonville. Unfortunately, this evening I stopped by Sushi Garden in Aptos Village. The comparison in cost is amazing. I order the exact same things each time I eat sushi, I know that's not necessarily adventurous but I know what I like. Point being that it levels the playing field when doing a comparison. My Bill at Sushi Garden is almost double the cost as that same meal at Imura Japanese Restaurant in watsonville and the service is different. Imura Japanese restaurant is managed and ran by adults, in fact the owner or adult manager are there every night and they actually really care about your dining experience. Two things beyond just Service and personal experience, again at Sushi Garden my Bill for the exact same items was almost double and when I received the bill with the suggested tips 18%, 20% and 22% it's calculated the tip not on the sub total but the total including the TAX. SO your tipping on state tax. It's like your getting the opportunity to thank the state of California each time you eat at Sushi Garden.So to sum it up please keep frequenting all the Sushi Garden locations, pay twice to an operation that's operated hands off by High School students, pay twice what you should and then get shamed into tipping including tax just to boots your Bill!
Amelia
Yum yum yum this lodging wast absolutely delicious f'r a v'ry reasonable price we did get a v'ry valorous siz'd meal. The s'rvice wast most wondrous with a v'ry sh'rt waiteth
They have some decent vegan options. The teriyaki tofu (with cucumber salad), avocado cucumber roll, and slug roll (seaweed and mushroom) are all really good.Nice outdoor seating area. Enclosed, with lights, radiant heaters, and screens that can be raised or lowered on request.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Julie G.
I love how clean and fresh atmosphere is when you walk into sushi Garden Aptos. Went in for dinner a couple months back had excellent service food was excellent decided to come in for lunch they said, and after we had ordered, we were rushed through told that they were closing and handed us our bill, I would give them better better score although being rushed to finish her meal and pay at any restaurant after ordering is a major no no. Does it matter if the food was good or not leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
Nic Gooden
Sushi was good along with service. No complaints with the establishment. Unfortunately last Saturday night before the end of dinner a "Karen" showed up. The staff & other guests encouraged her to go. Good
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Deanna Delgado
Mediocre at best. The teriyaki sauce is flavorless and has a weird gel like texture. Lukewarm miso soup. Not a fan :(
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 3
Christopher V.
This place checked all the boxes!Our party of 6 was seated quickly after a short wait on a busy, chilly evening. While waiting outside we were offered a complimentary round of hot sake to warm us up!We ordered quite a few rolls as well as baked mussels, ama ebi, sashimi, and tempura. Our favorite rolls were the sexy sexy, spider, and 49er. Quality seafood and the service was fantastic. Everything was delicious! My son has asked to go back for lunch at least once a week since we've been. The rolls were well made and the rice was perfect. It was busy and the place had a solid, energetic atmosphere.
The foods good but the service is really really bad.
Annie T.
This place is solid! I almost didn't come after reading some of the reviews, but Sushi Garden is a good reminder that we have to check out places for ourselves. The sashimi in my dinner combo was fresh and buttery! The salmon teriyaki had 2 large pieces. The salad is usually an after-thought at restaurants when it comes to bento boxes, but Sushi Garden gave a hefty portion, which my veggie-loving tummy appreciated! My child enjoyed every bite of her crunchy CA roll. We were greeted and seated immediately. The server took our order right away and checked on us a couple times. The restaurant is spacious and nicely decorated. I liked the long table in the middle that sat a few single patrons. The only downside was we were sat next to a cart of takeout items, so there were always customers standing inches from my child to pilfer through the takeout goodies (utensils, candy, chopstick helper tools, etc).There is easy parking as it shares the lot with Safeway and other stores. We found Sushi Garden to be a solid Japanese restaurant!
Sofia I.
not good at all. It tastes soooo bland and the miso soup tastes like actual water. It's just simply not good.
Joey
A wonderful spot. I am from out of town and saw it was full so we stopped in for dinner. Typically a full restaurant is a good one and this did not disappoint.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Sushi
jlt_productions
Why is this location better than the Watsonville one? Different cooks? Not sure why, but lunch was delicious on Saturday. Had the 3 choice Bento box lunch special with chicken teriyaki, tonkatsu and Veggie tempura.
What a pleasant surprise!!! I was driving from Watsonville back to San Jose and was hit hard with lunch time hunger. I made a last minute decision to exit the 101. I pulled into this shopping center and stumbled upon this restaurant. I had no expectations and was going in completely blind. Upon entering, I was greeted by a very friendly hostess. She said that I could pick anywhere to sit. I almost sat outside in the patio area but instead I elected to sit at the sushi bar so I can watch some sports on the TVs behind the bar. The server was very pleasant and brought me a glass of water and complimentary edamame. I thought to myself: so far so good. I decided on the lunch combo with three entrees. My selections were Tuna Sashimi, Salmon Nigiri and Salmon Teriyaki. Along with an a la cart order for a Salmon skin hand roll. When the food arrived I was surprised at the quality and presentation. The combo was $22 but I paid an extra $6 for the nigiri and sashimi. The salmon hand roll was $10. The meal also included miso soup. Overall everything was excellent and tasted VERY fresh. And for the price the portion was very nice. I highly recommend this place if and when you’re in the Aptos area. Two gigantic thumbs up for this hidden gem.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sashimi, Salmon Teriyaki Bento, Edamame, Salmon Skin Roll
Sushi was great, service was fast and excellent.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is our go-to place for Sushi.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I say this with some hesitation, as my son worked at Sushi Garden in Capitola while going to school. In thankful for that. However, having since moved to Aptos I started frequenting Imura Japanese Restaurant in Watsonville. Unfortunately, this evening I stopped by Sushi Garden in Aptos Village. The comparison in cost is amazing. I order the exact same things each time I eat sushi, I know that's not necessarily adventurous but I know what I like. Point being that it levels the playing field when doing a comparison. My Bill at Sushi Garden is almost double the cost as that same meal at Imura Japanese Restaurant in watsonville and the service is different. Imura Japanese restaurant is managed and ran by adults, in fact the owner or adult manager are there every night and they actually really care about your dining experience. Two things beyond just Service and personal experience, again at Sushi Garden my Bill for the exact same items was almost double and when I received the bill with the suggested tips 18%, 20% and 22% it's calculated the tip not on the sub total but the total including the TAX. SO your tipping on state tax. It's like your getting the opportunity to thank the state of California each time you eat at Sushi Garden.So to sum it up please keep frequenting all the Sushi Garden locations, pay twice to an operation that's operated hands off by High School students, pay twice what you should and then get shamed into tipping including tax just to boots your Bill!
Yum yum yum this lodging wast absolutely delicious f'r a v'ry reasonable price we did get a v'ry valorous siz'd meal. The s'rvice wast most wondrous with a v'ry sh'rt waiteth
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Katsu, Edamame, Veggie Tempura, Chicken Teriyaki Dinner Combo
They have some decent vegan options. The teriyaki tofu (with cucumber salad), avocado cucumber roll, and slug roll (seaweed and mushroom) are all really good.Nice outdoor seating area. Enclosed, with lights, radiant heaters, and screens that can be raised or lowered on request.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I love how clean and fresh atmosphere is when you walk into sushi Garden Aptos. Went in for dinner a couple months back had excellent service food was excellent decided to come in for lunch they said, and after we had ordered, we were rushed through told that they were closing and handed us our bill, I would give them better better score although being rushed to finish her meal and pay at any restaurant after ordering is a major no no. Does it matter if the food was good or not leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
Sushi was good along with service. No complaints with the establishment. Unfortunately last Saturday night before the end of dinner a "Karen" showed up. The staff & other guests encouraged her to go. Good
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Mediocre at best. The teriyaki sauce is flavorless and has a weird gel like texture. Lukewarm miso soup. Not a fan :(
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 3
This place checked all the boxes!Our party of 6 was seated quickly after a short wait on a busy, chilly evening. While waiting outside we were offered a complimentary round of hot sake to warm us up!We ordered quite a few rolls as well as baked mussels, ama ebi, sashimi, and tempura. Our favorite rolls were the sexy sexy, spider, and 49er. Quality seafood and the service was fantastic. Everything was delicious! My son has asked to go back for lunch at least once a week since we've been. The rolls were well made and the rice was perfect. It was busy and the place had a solid, energetic atmosphere.
Restaurantji Recommends
The foods good but the service is really really bad.
This place is solid! I almost didn't come after reading some of the reviews, but Sushi Garden is a good reminder that we have to check out places for ourselves. The sashimi in my dinner combo was fresh and buttery! The salmon teriyaki had 2 large pieces. The salad is usually an after-thought at restaurants when it comes to bento boxes, but Sushi Garden gave a hefty portion, which my veggie-loving tummy appreciated! My child enjoyed every bite of her crunchy CA roll. We were greeted and seated immediately. The server took our order right away and checked on us a couple times. The restaurant is spacious and nicely decorated. I liked the long table in the middle that sat a few single patrons. The only downside was we were sat next to a cart of takeout items, so there were always customers standing inches from my child to pilfer through the takeout goodies (utensils, candy, chopstick helper tools, etc).There is easy parking as it shares the lot with Safeway and other stores. We found Sushi Garden to be a solid Japanese restaurant!
not good at all. It tastes soooo bland and the miso soup tastes like actual water. It's just simply not good.
A wonderful spot. I am from out of town and saw it was full so we stopped in for dinner. Typically a full restaurant is a good one and this did not disappoint.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Sushi
Why is this location better than the Watsonville one? Different cooks? Not sure why, but lunch was delicious on Saturday. Had the 3 choice Bento box lunch special with chicken teriyaki, tonkatsu and Veggie tempura.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4