I spent around $300 here for one of the most romantic and memorable meals I’ve had in years. The value was absolutely fair — in fact, their prices are very reasonable for the quality they deliver. Every detail felt intentional:
The fish was incredibly fresh, melt-in-your-mouth quality.
The wasabi is real — not the dyed paste most places serve.
The hot tea was savory and calming, and the hot sake arrived perfectly heated and smooth.
The service was attentive, kind, and professional without being overbearing.
This restaurant easily deserves to be in the 4.8–5.0 range, not the 4.1 it’s sitting at. Anything lower feels undeserved and misleading to future guests. If you appreciate authenticity, craftsmanship, and genuine hospitality, this is the place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Veronica Mesquita
Ok so this is a very casual restaurant ! There was only 2 workers and no hostess so I entered and had a sit right away. The waitresses looked at me like I was upsetting her and and pointed at the chair she wanted me to sit at. It was very uncomfortable. The menu was so greesy I couldn’t even open it and she came to help me which I think it upset her even more. When it was my turn to order….wow! I remember looking her in the eye telling her “I like salmon” , she started pointing at the menu and saying salmon without me understanding anything. Finally, I showed her a picture of some extra food I wanted after struggling to order some sashimi and nigiri. English is my second language so I understand you have to be kind no matter what, but these people were rude and they did not speak English at all!!! And they didn’t look at you. Going to this restaurant was worse than going to the DMV I promise you . Anyways. Food came. And it was missing the niguiri I had ordered. I asked twice for her to confirm that I had ordered more food, she just kept pointing at my food and mumbling some words I couldn’t understand. She actually offered me to make them afterwards but I was so embarrassed I said no thanks because I wanted to get out of there immediately. So I asked for the check. $53 for one order of sashimi and 4 pieces of niguiri and a Coke. I had ordered 8 pieces of niguiri which makes more sense the price being where it was at. Never got them. Also couldn’t understand what I was paying for because she had wrote the check with a pen ??? Anyways I ask if I could use contactless form of payment, she looks at me saying I NEED THE CREDIT CARD. Which I didn’t have , only my phone with wallet in it. The customers OFFERED to pay for me and I sent them a Venmo. It was the worst experience of my life. The embarrassment I felt was out of this world
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 1
Katherine Pham
If you love sushi, this is a must visit. The sushi was fresh and delicious. You can tell the Sushi Chef took great care in preparing the fish. Price was reasonable, considering the portion of the fish. We ordered the tempura and fish — wasn’t too crazy for the tempura. The breading was thick. Make sure you make reservations. They don’t take walk in.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joseph Busby
Excellent sushi and service. A bit like sushi (soup) nazi - but would go back without question. Presentation outstanding, quality of food excellent.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jordan Kushner
Incredible sushi! I am very picky, and would travel for this place. It’s a go to whenever I am in Monterey for car week.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Shin Siapco
This place is pretty good. The fish is fresh and the service is prompt and fast. The sushi rice is very good. The place seems to be ran by a husband and wife team, who are both Japanese, and they run the place well. Good luck trying to get reservations. They dont answer the phone it seems like. Luckily, we came in at 5 pm when they opened and had a seat open. Go give them a try. Theyre legit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sarah C
This tiny hole-in-the-wall sushi place closely reminded me of an in-Japan food experience. The elderly couple owners (the man at the sushi bar and woman as the front of house) showed great teamwork in running the sushiya. The miso eggplant was so delicious. And the sushi we tried were all great quality. The fish was well-maintained for the meal.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sonny Valdez
Delicious sushi, fresh ingredients, wasabi was the best I’ve had outside Japan
Feng Guo
Reservation is required. The eggplant is a must. We like homemade tofu also. All sushi is good. Just $360 for 4 ppl
Amazing food, fresh, delicious, good presentation - everything was great. The place itself looks very basic and unassuming, but the food surely exceeded our expectations. Service was good, but I can see how some reviewers could describe it as “stoic” or “authentic Japanese”, anyway to me it was a part of the charm of this place. Highly recommended overall.
Anna A
Super authentic Japanese restaurant! The best Japanese food I had in awhile. Call in advance for a reservation. This place is popular and it doesn’t even have a name on the door.
Taurean Epicurean
Overpriced and subpar. You could get much better sushi—all-you-can-eat, no less—out in Reno, NV. Honestly, the cost of a trip to Reno —for better sushi and AYCE—would cost half as much as the bill for four rolls at this scam joint. You’re seriously better off grabbing a few rolls from the sushi counter at Safeway.
At least there, you’ll know what to expect, and it won’t feel like you’re being ripped off for substandard quality.
Syed Islam
The idea that this place has less than 4.9 stars irritates me to no end. For the price asked, this is arguably the best sushi within 500 miles. Everyone who says the service was bad must’ve been the entitled, annoying, uppity individuals that have given Carmel its off putting reputation. The food here could be justified at 2x the price, the service is extremely respectful when you give them respect in the first place, and the ambiance is perfect for a quaint, tasteful sushi dinner. If you have a bad time here, you are the problem.
Elijah Borden
My partner and I shared the assorted sashimi and tuna roll. Best sashimi I have ever had. We loved our entire experience.
I spent around $300 here for one of the most romantic and memorable meals I’ve had in years. The value was absolutely fair — in fact, their prices are very reasonable for the quality they deliver. Every detail felt intentional:
The fish was incredibly fresh, melt-in-your-mouth quality.
The wasabi is real — not the dyed paste most places serve.
The hot tea was savory and calming, and the hot sake arrived perfectly heated and smooth.
The service was attentive, kind, and professional without being overbearing.
This restaurant easily deserves to be in the 4.8–5.0 range, not the 4.1 it’s sitting at. Anything lower feels undeserved and misleading to future guests. If you appreciate authenticity, craftsmanship, and genuine hospitality, this is the place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ok so this is a very casual restaurant ! There was only 2 workers and no hostess so I entered and had a sit right away. The waitresses looked at me like I was upsetting her and and pointed at the chair she wanted me to sit at. It was very uncomfortable. The menu was so greesy I couldn’t even open it and she came to help me which I think it upset her even more. When it was my turn to order….wow! I remember looking her in the eye telling her “I like salmon” , she started pointing at the menu and saying salmon without me understanding anything. Finally, I showed her a picture of some extra food I wanted after struggling to order some sashimi and nigiri. English is my second language so I understand you have to be kind no matter what, but these people were rude and they did not speak English at all!!! And they didn’t look at you. Going to this restaurant was worse than going to the DMV I promise you . Anyways. Food came. And it was missing the niguiri I had ordered. I asked twice for her to confirm that I had ordered more food, she just kept pointing at my food and mumbling some words I couldn’t understand. She actually offered me to make them afterwards but I was so embarrassed I said no thanks because I wanted to get out of there immediately. So I asked for the check. $53 for one order of sashimi and 4 pieces of niguiri and a Coke. I had ordered 8 pieces of niguiri which makes more sense the price being where it was at. Never got them. Also couldn’t understand what I was paying for because she had wrote the check with a pen ??? Anyways I ask if I could use contactless form of payment, she looks at me saying I NEED THE CREDIT CARD. Which I didn’t have , only my phone with wallet in it. The customers OFFERED to pay for me and I sent them a Venmo. It was the worst experience of my life. The embarrassment I felt was out of this world
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 1
If you love sushi, this is a must visit. The sushi was fresh and delicious. You can tell the Sushi Chef took great care in preparing the fish. Price was reasonable, considering the portion of the fish. We ordered the tempura and fish — wasn’t too crazy for the tempura. The breading was thick. Make sure you make reservations. They don’t take walk in.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent sushi and service. A bit like sushi (soup) nazi - but would go back without question. Presentation outstanding, quality of food excellent.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Incredible sushi! I am very picky, and would travel for this place. It’s a go to whenever I am in Monterey for car week.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place is pretty good. The fish is fresh and the service is prompt and fast. The sushi rice is very good. The place seems to be ran by a husband and wife team, who are both Japanese, and they run the place well. Good luck trying to get reservations. They dont answer the phone it seems like. Luckily, we came in at 5 pm when they opened and had a seat open. Go give them a try. Theyre legit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This tiny hole-in-the-wall sushi place closely reminded me of an in-Japan food experience.
The elderly couple owners (the man at the sushi bar and woman as the front of house) showed great teamwork in running the sushiya. The miso eggplant was so delicious. And the sushi we tried were all great quality. The fish was well-maintained for the meal.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious sushi, fresh ingredients, wasabi was the best I’ve had outside Japan
Reservation is required. The eggplant is a must. We like homemade tofu also. All sushi is good. Just $360 for 4 ppl
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Best sashimi
Restaurantji Recommends
Amazing food, fresh, delicious, good presentation - everything was great. The place itself looks very basic and unassuming, but the food surely exceeded our expectations. Service was good, but I can see how some reviewers could describe it as “stoic” or “authentic Japanese”, anyway to me it was a part of the charm of this place. Highly recommended overall.
Super authentic Japanese restaurant! The best Japanese food I had in awhile. Call in advance for a reservation. This place is popular and it doesn’t even have a name on the door.
Overpriced and subpar.
You could get much better sushi—all-you-can-eat, no less—out in Reno, NV.
Honestly, the cost of a trip to Reno —for better sushi and AYCE—would cost half as much as the bill for four rolls at this scam joint.
You’re seriously better off grabbing a few rolls from the sushi counter at Safeway.
At least there, you’ll know what to expect, and it won’t feel like you’re being ripped off for substandard quality.
The idea that this place has less than 4.9 stars irritates me to no end. For the price asked, this is arguably the best sushi within 500 miles. Everyone who says the service was bad must’ve been the entitled, annoying, uppity individuals that have given Carmel its off putting reputation. The food here could be justified at 2x the price, the service is extremely respectful when you give them respect in the first place, and the ambiance is perfect for a quaint, tasteful sushi dinner. If you have a bad time here, you are the problem.
My partner and I shared the assorted sashimi and tuna roll. Best sashimi I have ever had. We loved our entire experience.
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