11 Best Japanese Restaurants in Santa Cruz

“HIDDEN GEM Best ever! So you HAVE to give this place a try! Alex was our server tonight. She was excellent. Food was amazing. Prices fantastic. Choose over Akira all day long, no wait ... reservations for party larger than 4 but sushi bar is stellar!“

“Junko is wonderful - the best! 🍣🍱😋“

“I ordered The Masterpiece and my friend ordered The Moon and they were wonderful. I would definitely return again. And the best part is that they had a whole page in their menu that just said in big letters VEGAN which made it very easy for us to order and made us feel that they wanted our business as well. Notice that there's a flower in the pictures on the plate so they definitely win points for their plating.“

“Food: excellent selection of sushi and sushi bowls if you wanted too. The sushi is plated nicely and the portions are big enough for sharing.

Service: great service fast and friendly. You order at the counter, they give you a buzzer and then you retrieve it. If you haven’t been here they do provide recommendations of what to order depending on your tastebuds.

Ambiance: the inside is small. It is shared with another business. Can’t eat inside, but they have plenty of seats and tables surrounding the building. It’s very nice to sit outside, of course when the weather is lovely.“

“We stopped in on October 11 during happy hour. Being from Michigan, we did not know what to expect. Our daughter, now an Aptos resident, said this was her favorite place for sushi. We could see why! The flavors and variety of items were excellent. Best of all was our server Isabell. She was great; friendly, attentive and knowledgeable about the menu. Great food, great service. Thank you.“

“Visiting from out of town and my husband picked this place. As a studio Ghibli fan I loved the art on the walls. It was very creative and welcoming. We ordered rolls that were super good. The prices vary but I felt like they were affordable for a nice night out.“

“So we found out that this place changed menus about 3 months ago and decided to come check out their happy hour. And this place is amazing with really good food and super good service and the person that runs the bar Lindsay made a fantastic Maitai for me. They have an extensive menu and a really good selection of sake, wine and spirits. The fries are out of this world. The portions are decent and the food tastes amazing.“

“Absolutely the best noodles and soup I've had and probably best restaurant period. Everyone in my friend group adored it. Everything from the soup, to the chow mein to the curry and the wings was delicious. My bubble tea was great also. If you're in town you gotta stop by at Betty “

“Hands down, best place I've ever been to get sushi! I always get the Salmon Lover Combo! ? at first glance, the place might not seem much but the place is clean, the service is great and the food is phenomenal! The price I think is very fair considering how great the sushi is! You can tell, they put alot of heart and work into making the sushi! Can't wait to order from them again! ?“

“Very fresh sushi and for the price it's very good! Definitely recommend coming in“

“Amazing food! Friendly service! You’ve got to see the Waterfall at the bar on Friday and Saturday evenings. Sake bombs for everyone!“