Really nice ambience here with both indoor and outdoor seating. Went for dinner and tried the Udon and a couple of sushi rolls. The sushi was solid — I had the Land Shark and Tropi Maki, both pretty tasty. The Udon soup was just okay for me, but it might be because it was my first time trying it. Overall, a good spot to check out.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
james wang
Overall disappointing finish to a very nice day in Santa Cruz. This place charges premium prices for below average food and service. There must be better options in town.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2
Guato G
Could improve on service and food.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Zebra Patterns
Very disappointing. As a single female diner, I was directed to sit in an isolated corner, which smelled strongly of cleaning agent. I was ignored or forgotten about for 20 minutes after being seated. The restaurant was not very full, but the servers were largely absent from the side of the restaurant I was placed in. When i did get to order, the wait was around 30 min. My server did help move things along for me, and provided a complimentary miso to tide me over, so that did really help. The first roll was good, but the second roll tasted funny and my tongue had a burning sensation after I ate some of it. It was not Wasabi. O.o Maybe it was an accident because the chef was hurrying? Ultimately, I think they were busy assisting larger groups of wealthy people that were likely to spend more on alcohol. As I left, two patrol guys got busy harassing an old homeless man to leave the parking lot. He wasn't bothering anyone, just had found a place to rest. If you're looking for a quick bite of sushi, and not trying to break the bank or in a big group, you'll probably have better luck elsewhere.
I tipped well because the sever was ultimately helpful and I was hopeful it would encourage him and other servers to treat solo diners well. But...I feel a little foolish for thinking that. Time will tell.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
Lukasz Zbylut
Ok bland food, inattentive service.
jacob fingerboards
Worst service of my life waited for 20 minutes and didn't even get our drink order taken
Joyce Turner
This is definitely a sushi place I would cautiously come back to based on previous reviews. The service was a little slow. The space was great considering that it was in a Trader Joe’s strip mall parking lot. The rolls & nigiri we had were very good. The Oshi Tashi was lacking flavor. There were several things I wanted to try so I’ll be back.
F Bauer
We ordered via telephone with the intention of picking up our order. The nice woman said our order would be ready in 45 minutes. When we arrived in 50 minutes it was not ready. We were told it's not ready. Long story short, we came back 3 times and finally got our order after 2 hours. It was apparent orders were not being completed in the order in which they were received. If you didn't take a table, your order will be kicked to the curb. Another to-go group also had an extended wait time. They said they talked to the manager and received a $20 gift card. Based on my observations of the manager and hostess, I'm certain the manager knew about my situation. When I expressed my frustration to the nice hostess lady, she suggested I speak to the manager who was eyeing me from the bar but did not take the initiative to walk over to a disadvantaged customer. I declined to approach the manager because the thought of a gift card to an establishment that I have no urge to return to did not appeal to me.
I pre-paid during the wait on a $100 bill with a 20% tip. Note to self: Don't tip until the full experience is fully realized.
Mariah R
Yummy food, great atmosphere, wonderful staff! It was my first time here today and I decided to try a new place for sushi. It was delicious, I HIGHLY suggest the Giyuniku Udon, and Holy Moly Maki!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Miso Soup
Arno Rogg
I was quite surprised by the cost of our meal at this sushi spot—$60 for a modest serving for two felt steep, especially since we left still feeling half hungry. The sushi itself was, at best, slightly below average. Unfortunately, the experience took a turn for the worse about an hour later when both my wife and I developed severe stomach cramps after having the salmon avocado and eel avocado sushi. Upon checking other reviews, I noticed we weren’t the only ones who had issues with “food poisoning.” Based on our experience, I’d recommend exploring other dining options in Santa Cruz where both the quality and the value are likely to be better.
Like others have said, it's just ok. If you've had great vegan sushi just don't expect that. This is generic bottom shelf stuff. It's perfectly edible, just nothing to brag about.
Updated from previous review on 2024-10-13
TJ Phillips
Mobo is my go to for sushi! Food is consistently delicious, staff is always friendly. Much of the staff have been there for decades.
Katrina Cantu
Great vegan sushi as well as standard Japanese restaurant staples.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Igor S
Got food poisoning after having a dinner at this place. Would not recommend. (I had salmon maki rolls and beef noodles)
Really nice ambience here with both indoor and outdoor seating. Went for dinner and tried the Udon and a couple of sushi rolls. The sushi was solid — I had the Land Shark and Tropi Maki, both pretty tasty. The Udon soup was just okay for me, but it might be because it was my first time trying it. Overall, a good spot to check out.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Overall disappointing finish to a very nice day in Santa Cruz. This place charges premium prices for below average food and service. There must be better options in town.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2
Could improve on service and food.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Very disappointing. As a single female diner, I was directed to sit in an isolated corner, which smelled strongly of cleaning agent. I was ignored or forgotten about for 20 minutes after being seated. The restaurant was not very full, but the servers were largely absent from the side of the restaurant I was placed in. When i did get to order, the wait was around 30 min. My server did help move things along for me, and provided a complimentary miso to tide me over, so that did really help. The first roll was good, but the second roll tasted funny and my tongue had a burning sensation after I ate some of it. It was not Wasabi. O.o Maybe it was an accident because the chef was hurrying? Ultimately, I think they were busy assisting larger groups of wealthy people that were likely to spend more on alcohol. As I left, two patrol guys got busy harassing an old homeless man to leave the parking lot. He wasn't bothering anyone, just had found a place to rest. If you're looking for a quick bite of sushi, and not trying to break the bank or in a big group, you'll probably have better luck elsewhere.
I tipped well because the sever was ultimately helpful and I was hopeful it would encourage him and other servers to treat solo diners well. But...I feel a little foolish for thinking that. Time will tell.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
Ok bland food, inattentive service.
Worst service of my life waited for 20 minutes and didn't even get our drink order taken
This is definitely a sushi place I would cautiously come back to based on previous reviews. The service was a little slow. The space was great considering that it was in a Trader Joe’s strip mall parking lot. The rolls & nigiri we had were very good. The Oshi Tashi was lacking flavor.
There were several things I wanted to try so I’ll be back.
We ordered via telephone with the intention of picking up our order. The nice woman said our order would be ready in 45 minutes. When we arrived in 50 minutes it was not ready. We were told it's not ready. Long story short, we came back 3 times and finally got our order after 2 hours. It was apparent orders were not being completed in the order in which they were received. If you didn't take a table, your order will be kicked to the curb. Another to-go group also had an extended wait time. They said they talked to the manager and received a $20 gift card. Based on my observations of the manager and hostess, I'm certain the manager knew about my situation. When I expressed my frustration to the nice hostess lady, she suggested I speak to the manager who was eyeing me from the bar but did not take the initiative to walk over to a disadvantaged customer. I declined to approach the manager because the thought of a gift card to an establishment that I have no urge to return to did not appeal to me.
I pre-paid during the wait on a $100 bill with a 20% tip. Note to self: Don't tip until the full experience is fully realized.
Yummy food, great atmosphere, wonderful staff! It was my first time here today and I decided to try a new place for sushi. It was delicious, I HIGHLY suggest the Giyuniku Udon, and Holy Moly Maki!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Miso Soup
I was quite surprised by the cost of our meal at this sushi spot—$60 for a modest serving for two felt steep, especially since we left still feeling half hungry. The sushi itself was, at best, slightly below average. Unfortunately, the experience took a turn for the worse about an hour later when both my wife and I developed severe stomach cramps after having the salmon avocado and eel avocado sushi. Upon checking other reviews, I noticed we weren’t the only ones who had issues with “food poisoning.” Based on our experience, I’d recommend exploring other dining options in Santa Cruz where both the quality and the value are likely to be better.
Food: 1
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
Very good food
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Like others have said, it's just ok. If you've had great vegan sushi just don't expect that. This is generic bottom shelf stuff. It's perfectly edible, just nothing to brag about. Updated from previous review on 2024-10-13
Mobo is my go to for sushi! Food is consistently delicious, staff is always friendly. Much of the staff have been there for decades.
Great vegan sushi as well as standard Japanese restaurant staples.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Got food poisoning after having a dinner at this place. Would not recommend. (I had salmon maki rolls and beef noodles)
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
Loading...