Hands down one of the best sushi spots in town. Everything tastes super fresh and the presentation is beautiful without feeling fussy. The chef clearly cares about every detail, and the staff is kind and attentive without hovering.
The omakase is worth every penny — each course feels thoughtful and different. It’s a quiet little gem that makes you slow down and actually enjoy your meal. Highly recommend for anyone who loves real, high-quality sushi.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Shawn Mengel
The flavors of our meal were very repetitive and heavy. A majority of the dishes focused on dashi and miso flavors with root vegetables that did not match the season. I was expecting more creativity for a coursed meal at this price point.
The first soup course was excellent, the rest, meh.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Jae Borgard
Kaiseki menu from soup, appetizers, sashimi, grilled, nigiri, dessert plus more. 8 courses in total. Each dish was carefully arranged and tasted delicious. Ingredients were very fresh. Servers were fantastic. Each dish was not only explained but also gave us instructions on how and what order to eat each bite. Small restaurant and minimally decorated but classy. It was a wonderful meal. Reservation is a must and required.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
AvB
Yoichi absolutely blew me away—this was hands down one of the best Japanese meals I’ve ever had. Every dish was deeply flavorful and clearly made with serious care and intention. The two servers were kind, attentive, and impressively knowledgeable about the food and sake pairings, which made the whole experience feel really special.
When we went, the restaurant was surprisingly quiet—which honestly felt like we had a hidden gem moment. I don’t know how more people aren’t talking about this place. If you love authentic Japanese food, it’s a must try. It completely outshines anything I’ve had in Seattle (and I’ve eaten a lot of Japanese food there). Yoichi deserves a full house every night!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sizhuang Liang
This is a very nice place for the quality of food and service. Simply superb.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
james hansen
Best kept secret in Santa Barbara
Ethan Samson
What an incredibly impressive meal and experience. The food and service were perfect. Highly recommend going here to experience a true and well executed kaiseki
Abby Galyon
Incredible food and service. Truly a once and a lifetime experience
William B. Watson
On par with some of the nicest omakase experiences I’ve ever had in NYC. A real gem. Thanks be to Reddit for putting me onto this lovely evening. I was heading to loquita and randomly checked Reddit and found Yoichi’s. The service was excellent and so very knowledgeable (and kind), and the food was exquisite.
Jennifer Gray
High end Japanese dining that never fails to feel like a special event. Food is inventive, beautifully and artfully arranged, and so incredibly delicious. Service is attentive and the handmade dishes (plates, bowls, cups) are incredible.
I hate to say this, but under adequate especially given the price tag attached. We were looking for a place to celebrate, and landed here—not the best call. The service was nice and people were lovely, but the star of the show, the FOOD was so mediocre. Some stuff was over salty, some textures were off, and overall I couldn’t wait to leave. I really wanted to like it.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Deidre Dubin
A gastronomical delight! We were transported to Japan. Quiet and intimate setting.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Assorted Appetizers, Snow Crab and Egg Cake, Sashimi, Wagyu, King Crab, Soup, Mackerel
Sarah Falk
Please allow me to add to the chorus of voices praising Yoichi’s. We had just been to eat at Michelin-starred Caruso’s the night before… Yoichi’s was not only half as expensive but twice as good.
Food courses absolutely gorgeous, cohesive, delicate, delicious… enough in quantity to really enjoy it but not so much that you feel overstuffed by the end. The variety of dishes was incredible and the tastes exquisite.
There were two people serving the dining room when we were there - I’m sorry I don’t remember their names but they were both so kind, knowledgable, and attentive.
Bonus points for jazzy versions of Studio Ghibli tunes playing as atmospheric music ❤️
You won’t regret coming here. You will only regret that you can’t eat here every night. We will be sure to come back when we are in Santa Barbara.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Makiko Z
I love their Kaiseki. We went there 2 times and both times were “there is nothing to compare” experiences. I have worked as a chef in Japan, assisted a pro and learned about traditional Japanese seafood preparation. The course meal dishes the waiter brought to our table were authentic yet well adjusted to the culture. The waiter Daisuke who is also very professional would take his time to explain the dish, from origin of the ingredients, how they were prepped, and the best order to eat each piece. The restaurant is open only Thursday-Sunday, that I can sense the chef’s effort of taking his time to search for the best ingredients from the different places and serve them at the best. I think I will make a reservation soon for the 3rd time. :)
Joshua Latin
So happy to find a great kaiseki in Santa Barbara. If you really love food, this is one of the most fun and exciting places you could eat in town. Everyone that works there is nice and very passionate. Will be back soon!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Zensai, Sashimi, King Crab, Chawanmushi, Sushi
Hands down one of the best sushi spots in town. Everything tastes super fresh and the presentation is beautiful without feeling fussy. The chef clearly cares about every detail, and the staff is kind and attentive without hovering.
The omakase is worth every penny — each course feels thoughtful and different. It’s a quiet little gem that makes you slow down and actually enjoy your meal. Highly recommend for anyone who loves real, high-quality sushi.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The flavors of our meal were very repetitive and heavy. A majority of the dishes focused on dashi and miso flavors with root vegetables that did not match the season. I was expecting more creativity for a coursed meal at this price point.
The first soup course was excellent, the rest, meh.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Kaiseki menu from soup, appetizers, sashimi, grilled, nigiri, dessert plus more. 8 courses in total. Each dish was carefully arranged and tasted delicious. Ingredients were very fresh.
Servers were fantastic. Each dish was not only explained but also gave us instructions on how and what order to eat each bite.
Small restaurant and minimally decorated but classy.
It was a wonderful meal. Reservation is a must and required.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Yoichi absolutely blew me away—this was hands down one of the best Japanese meals I’ve ever had. Every dish was deeply flavorful and clearly made with serious care and intention. The two servers were kind, attentive, and impressively knowledgeable about the food and sake pairings, which made the whole experience feel really special.
When we went, the restaurant was surprisingly quiet—which honestly felt like we had a hidden gem moment. I don’t know how more people aren’t talking about this place. If you love authentic Japanese food, it’s a must try. It completely outshines anything I’ve had in Seattle (and I’ve eaten a lot of Japanese food there). Yoichi deserves a full house every night!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is a very nice place for the quality of food and service. Simply superb.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best kept secret in Santa Barbara
What an incredibly impressive meal and experience. The food and service were perfect. Highly recommend going here to experience a true and well executed kaiseki
Incredible food and service. Truly a once and a lifetime experience
On par with some of the nicest omakase experiences I’ve ever had in NYC. A real gem. Thanks be to Reddit for putting me onto this lovely evening. I was heading to loquita and randomly checked Reddit and found Yoichi’s. The service was excellent and so very knowledgeable (and kind), and the food was exquisite.
High end Japanese dining that never fails to feel like a special event. Food is inventive, beautifully and artfully arranged, and so incredibly delicious. Service is attentive and the handmade dishes (plates, bowls, cups) are incredible.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
I hate to say this, but under adequate especially given the price tag attached. We were looking for a place to celebrate, and landed here—not the best call. The service was nice and people were lovely, but the star of the show, the FOOD was so mediocre. Some stuff was over salty, some textures were off, and overall I couldn’t wait to leave.
I really wanted to like it.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
A gastronomical delight!
We were transported to Japan.
Quiet and intimate setting.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Assorted Appetizers, Snow Crab and Egg Cake, Sashimi, Wagyu, King Crab, Soup, Mackerel
Please allow me to add to the chorus of voices praising Yoichi’s. We had just been to eat at Michelin-starred Caruso’s the night before… Yoichi’s was not only half as expensive but twice as good.
Food courses absolutely gorgeous, cohesive, delicate, delicious… enough in quantity to really enjoy it but not so much that you feel overstuffed by the end. The variety of dishes was incredible and the tastes exquisite.
There were two people serving the dining room when we were there - I’m sorry I don’t remember their names but they were both so kind, knowledgable, and attentive.
Bonus points for jazzy versions of Studio Ghibli tunes playing as atmospheric music ❤️
You won’t regret coming here. You will only regret that you can’t eat here every night. We will be sure to come back when we are in Santa Barbara.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I love their Kaiseki. We went there 2 times and both times were “there is nothing to compare” experiences. I have worked as a chef in Japan, assisted a pro and learned about traditional Japanese seafood preparation. The course meal dishes the waiter brought to our table were authentic yet well adjusted to the culture. The waiter Daisuke who is also very professional would take his time to explain the dish, from origin of the ingredients, how they were prepped, and the best order to eat each piece. The restaurant is open only Thursday-Sunday, that I can sense the chef’s effort of taking his time to search for the best ingredients from the different places and serve them at the best. I think I will make a reservation soon for the 3rd time. :)
So happy to find a great kaiseki in Santa Barbara. If you really love food, this is one of the most fun and exciting places you could eat in town. Everyone that works there is nice and very passionate. Will be back soon!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Zensai, Sashimi, King Crab, Chawanmushi, Sushi
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