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Ahi Sushi
Category: Restaurants Sushi Bars Sushi Bars [Edit]
3631 State StSanta Barbara, CA 93190
(805) 687-6942
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11 am - 2:30 pm
Mon-Sat 5:30 pm - 10 pm
Sat 12 pm - 2:30 pm
Sun 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
90 reviews for Ahi Sushi
Review Highlights
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"This is the best sushi place I've tried in SB." In 14 reviews -
"...magic mushroom are both better at arigato) but the raging..." In 3 reviews -
"...salmon guy but the Ragin' Cajun roll with a torched salmon..." In 2 reviews
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90 reviews in English
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Review from Michelle Z.
Santa Barbara, CA
I honestly never go to any other Sushi place in Santa Barbara. First off they use 100% real crab in ALL their rolls, even the California. Secondly, they have an amazing selection of both the fresh and raw as well as delicious and authentic cooked Japanese fare. Personally, I even think Ahi is better than Arigato, not only because it's more affordable for equal quality, but because the authentic Izakaya menu they offer Tues-Sat at Ahi is beyond good.
I find everything is always fresh and expertly prepared, though because it is a small restaurant the service can get slow when busy. I recommend sitting at the sushi bar if possible if you are at all in a rush. My favorite things to eat are the Yellowtail Carpaccio, Yakkiniku Beef, Kamikaze Roll, Soba Salad, Tako Yaki (fried octopus bites), Miso Ramen, Gyoza and Kobachi Roll... There's actually lot more, but it's almost too much to name. Better off trying it for yourself! -
Review from Matt W.
Santa Barbara, CA
5/8/2012 1 Check-in Here
I will never eat here again. The glass fish display looked like a sad bait shop rather than an appetizing advertisement for the meal. We sat at the bar and asked the chef if we just tell him the order, he told "Yeah, but not now I'm busy".... we were one of 3 couples there.. if 3 couples is more than you can handle, you've got issues. I replied to him "Oh sorry, want me to come back later?". I ate one mediocre spicy tuna handroll paid $16 for it and left. I will *NEVER* go back.
Sushi: Mediocre
Fish: Unappetizing and questionably fresh
Service: Rude -
Review from lemonjelly l.
Santa Barbara, CA
I was a big fan of Kobachi, so when it closed, I turned to the other restaurant under the same ownership, which is Ahi Sushi.
There are additional items on Ahi's menu now, transferring some favorites from Kobachi.
The interior is expected for a strip mall style of uptown Santa Barbara suburbia. Casual, not trendy. Music is nice, chilled electronica like Morcheeba.
On my most recent visit, I wanted to try the ramen and came away pleased and full.
The choices for the tonkotsu ramen are shoyo or miso broth, my friend and I got one of each. I really enjoyed the miso ramen, and my friend preferred his shoyu, which had a subtle smokey fish flavor. Both were good. Both are about $9.50 and a generous portion to be a meal. We did wish there were a couple more slices of chargrilled pork in the bowl.
We ordered a few small plates as well. I am totally in love with their shiitake nigiri. It sounds boring, but it's utterly delicious. Smokey umami flavor, with a hint of spice. Do not dip this one in soy sauce or wasabi, it is perfect as it is.
Also ordered the crispy koika, which is fried calamari with curry flavor salt and homemade tartar sauce. And seafood tartare: tuna and salmon with avocado, mango, cilantro in a creamy wasbai tartare sauce, $10. There is more in the serving dish than originally meets the eye. It's a little hard to eat with chopsticks, it would be better to have a little spoon, but we managed.
The ramen is only served Tuesday- Saturday for dinner, and the menu states that it takes extra time to prepare. That's because of the time needed to make the broth and cook the noodles. I'm happy to wait it out, ordering a few nibbles beforehand, because those noodles were perfect. Bowls UP at the end.
Logistical note: Ahi's in a small strip mall and parking is often tight. Ahi customers only have special permission to park at the Motel next door. -
Review from Kathleen C.
Santa Barbara, CA
4/1/2012 1 Check-in Here
Ahi isn't my favorite sushi spot. But it's very, very good. Their unagi sushi is the best I have ever had. They get this wonderful crispness on the eel, before covering it in the sauce. It's tender with a bit of crunch and with the salty-sweet eel sauce, it's awesome. Their special rolls are okay, but not my favorite. I much prefer the special rolls at Itsuki. At Itsuki, the special rolls are really flavorful. But, at Ahi they're much less intensely flavored. They're good, but a little bland for my taste.
I usually get the seaweed salad, the mushroom miso soup, and a few rolls. I haven't tried anything else on their menu. I mainly go for the sushi. It's a bit pricey compared to some of the other places in town--but the quality is much better. So it's worth it. -
Review from Chloé C.
Los Angeles, CA
5/6/2012
The sushi was alright. I came right when it opened for lunch because this is one of the earlier sushi restaurants that open for lunch. It gets busy pretty quickly a little after it opens for lunch, and it does seem like regulars come there. The interior decor was boring and unattractive- if it had any at all. I know there was one server who was more like a manager, and she was still busy opening up the restaurant- but she honestly should have come in earlier to do this. Hence, we got bad service. We got some sushi and a lunch special. They did not have the korean meet galbi in stock so I was forced to substitute it with chicken teriyaki. The presentation was nice and it was good, and not big portions. I know for sure there are better quality sushi places in Santa Barbara. In general, their prices were not that great either.
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Review from Greg W.
Santa Barbara, CA
There are plenty of places to eat sushi in SB. I've tried all of them. All of the higher end places are good.....Ahi however has the freshest tasting fish in my opinion. Try the kanpachi nigiri, uni shooters, toro(when they have it), and the octopus balls(sounds weird, its not, quite good)
I always sit at the bar, it ensures I can talk to the chefs to inquire about certain fish and to ensure prompt attention in regards to service.Listed in: 10 Years of Santa Barbara
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Review from Sang L.
Los Angeles, CA
1/7/2012
Best fresh fish!! Sushi and sashimi!!
Must try, best sushi restaurant in town.
Price is reasonable!! -
Review from Marly H.
Santa Barbara, CA
11/5/2011
We went to Ahi Sushi the day before my birthday this year. It's tucked away in a lot with a bunch of other things, down the row from 31 flavors, Tee Off, and the place where you can inlist in the Marine Corps.
The edamame were pretty good, warm and salty, the way I like them. The miso soup was good, more flavorful than some other places, but let's be honest, I don't go to sushi places for miso or edamame.
The eel and avocado hand roll was pretty good and the nigiri I got was better than decent, but not as fresh and delicious as I would have liked. I also got a cut roll, the Ahi Roll, which was not as delicious as I expected and a little strange. It came wrapped in pink soy paper. Not sure what that was about.
I probably wont go back because when I go looking for sushi I look for places that I could give a 4 or a 5 star. This place was just alright.Listed in: SUSH!
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Review from Kim V.
Santa Barbara, CA
11/18/2011
I came here with a friend from work because it's close to her house. Overall it has a pretty decent rating, and even though the most recent ratings weren't as good, I thought what the heck.
The service was good. I never had an empty cup of tea (for which I was grateful since it's been chilly out). Selection was interesting. Almost every roll had a sauce and a lot more veggies than I'm used to for sushi.
We tried a variation of a spicy tuna roll, soft shell crab roll, albacore sashimi and something else that I can't remember. It was just ok. -
Review from jin y.
2/8/2012 1 Check-in Here
how the hell do i review this place? all the reviews were amazing so we rolled up here to have lunch before the santa barbara film festival. unlucky for us, it was a saturday and the host/waiter/busser (same guy) apologized profusely that we can only order off the izakaya saturday menu. that meant no fresh raw oysters, probably no raw shrimp, and no other sushi/sashimi that wasn't already on the menu. it was fine, but i found it odd he apologized to us. it felt like he didn't want us to be there.
we saw that they had uni shooters though, and that's what we were there for, so we sat anyway and ordered. i ordered nigiri and the waiter said they didn't have it. he runs back and forth from the kitchen to our table and finally brings us a bottle saying that it's the best they can offer us. he apologizes again, saying that they didn't think they'd have this many people on saturday and they weren't prepared. the restaurant literally was only half full. it sucks that he was the only one working but he didn't have to tell us every damn thing that the restaurant was lacking in, or apologize for things we weren't even conscious of until he brought it up.
anyway, the uni shooters were amazing. everything else was whatever. i still want to try the restaurant when they have full service, real sushi chefs behind the sushi bar, more than one waiter running around but alas, i will probably never go to sb during the weekday. oh well. -
Review from Lauren K.
Santa Barbara, CA
1/25/2012
I have called over 10 times DURING business hours to make a reservation..no answer. WHAT THE!!
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Review from Colin M.
Los Angeles, CA
8/22/2011
I'll let you know right away that I've always enjoyed the food here, but then tell you that one of Ahi's hands doesn't seem to know what the other's doing, service-wise. Example: one server seated my friends and I right in the worst of a chilly draft. These things happen, but when we asked another server to close the door letting all that air in, she seemed confused and said, "I don't think they'll let us." ("They"?) So I pulled over a different server and asked her to close the door, which she simply walked over and did. All's well that ends well.
Example two: I asked the server too scared to close the door (mistake) if they kept Asahi on draft. "No, we don't," she hesitantly replied while I stared at the bar's tap labeled "Asahi". But hey, maybe the thing blew a mainspring, so I ordered a bottle instead. A few minutes later, my friend asked another server for a glass of Asahi, and -- lo and behold -- straight out of the tap it came. WHAT THE. But the glass they served his Asahi in smelled funny, so things evened out.
Still, I feel like a dick complaining about these problems, because damn, does Ahi serve a fine shiitake mushroom sushi. I'd always instinctively avoided mushrooms, especially on sushi, but if anything can convert me, this stuff can. My bowl of unusually veggie-intensive miso soup went well with it, though I couldn't quite forget about the hardened crusty stuff I felt on its side. Be apprised that the appetizer that translates to something like "coffee shop potato steak" has novelty value, but you wouldn't want to make it a staple. Just get a few more rounds of that mushroom sushi instead.
(NOTE: If you order a glass of sake, you will pay like sixteen bucks for it. But it comes in a little wooden box! So hey.) -
Review from Leo K.
Orange, CA
9/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
Due to the relatively good reviews on yelp, my wife and I decided to try Ahi Sushi out with our 3 year old and 7 month old in tow. When we arrived, the restaurant was slow. There were three other tables with guests, and all were already eating. Shortly after being seated, one of the tables finished and left. We received most of our drinks and ordered our food (our 3 year old was not brought any water, so we asked for an additional water).
15 minutes after ordering, there was a rush of people (no one else had come in within that time frame). The restaurant filled up rather quickly. As we continued to wait and wait, we observed everyone who came in after us (mind you... 15 minutes after us) all receiving their food. We continued to patiently wait, and after having been there for about 50 minutes, I asked our waitress when our food was coming out. She told me she would check and left. About a couple minutes later, she came back with an extra water (the water we had initially asked for for our 3 year old when we had first arrived) and told us they were working on it but were backed up because it had gotten so busy. My question is, why did our order get "backed up" when it was placed 15 minutes earlier than all the others?
Our children were getting fussy, and my 3 year old kept on telling us he was hungry. After waiting a few more minutes, we decided we had had enough and told our waitress we would be leaving. I was charged $2.16 for my can of Coke on the way out. Wow.
We tried going next door to Tee-Off to see if we could get our growling stomachs satisfied (for further, see Tee-Off review)... -
Review from Mike H.
Santa Barbara, CA
1/15/2012
Took our young adult kids out for sushi, what a disappointment. We're local and originally planned to go to Arigato on State street. After reading pretty good recent reviews on yelp, and on recommendation of a trusted friend, decided to avoid the tourist scene and try Ahi. Ambiance and music poor (bright, cold, thumping disco-like bass), service poor (not busy but paying little to no attention to our table), food was less than mediocre.
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Review from Frank T.
Fontana, CA
8/5/2011
I'll start by saying that the hostess was confused on how to seat a party of 6. She had to get approval from the manager to put two tables together. They were very unorganized, once we put our drink order in, 5 seconds later another waitress came by to take our drink order (again). Really? This should have been a clue for the rest of my dining experience.
A third waitress comes to take our food order (15 minutes later) and is not very knowledgable about the menu. We had to order miso soup because they don't serve it with dinner (of course not when they can charge for it right?). The miso soup came after all of our food had already been served. What a joke!
The food was definitely nothing to write home about. The service was unacceptable, the food was sub par, none of the tableware, plates or even spoons matched and I paid WAY to much for this meal even if it would have been good. Save your money and go to a fast food joint, save yourself a headache and lots of money. -
Review from Lily Z.
4/19/2011 16 photos
I have tried three sushi places in SB so far. Ahi is my favorite of the three (I have not had Arigato yet, so my ranking might change). The ingredients tasted fresher than Edomasa and Itsuki and the price was reasonable considering the quality. The uni was so sweet, and yes, I was definitely missing out on quality uni living on the east coast.
The sauce for the maki was laddled onto the bottom of the plate rather than squirted on top of the rolls, so it was easy to control how much sauce you want on your rolls. Purists might say that the rolls here are not very authentic. For me, I care only about the overall taste, and some of the unusual flavor combinations here were delicious. My favorite was the ragin cajun roll, seared blackened salmon, avocado, grilled asperagus, and red onion, served with spicy aioli and carpaccio sauce. There is alot going on here, yet I could still taste the impeccably fresh salmon because the flavor was balanced and the roll didn't suffer from typical problems of fusion sushi rolls such as too much sauce, too much fried stuff, or too much cream cheese.
The restaurant was very small and the seating was cramped so I suggest going to Ahi on a weekday.Listed in: Good eats in Santa Barbara
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Review from Jessica M.
Santa Barbara, CA
9/30/2011
My husband and I recently moved to Santa Barbara and have been in search of a reliably good and enjoyable sushi place.
We picked Ahi as our first try after reading the mostly favorable reviews here, but were somewhat disappointed.
The restaurant is in a little strip mall on upper State St and there is nothing special, inviting, or classy about the ambiance. We were ignored for several minutes while the hostess fussed around with the phone and someones to go order before being allowed to sit at the sushi bar.
The menu was dull and uninspiring just your basic California rolls with different stuff on top or rolls with tempura shrimp in them. As far as the sashimi and sushi offerings there was nothing interesting or exotic just the standard, ahi, salmon, shrimp, eel. Our sushi chef (forgot proper term) seemed very young and inexperienced the party sitting next to us tried to encourage him to take over their dining experience, but all he could do was ask them if they like different items offered on the menu and made no suggestions as to what fish was best that night.
The quality of the fish itself was fair, but we will not be returning again. -
Review from Diana L.
Fremont, CA
7/8/2011
This is the best sushi place I've tried in SB.
I've tried several different rolls here and I have no complaints on any of them! The quality actually matches up to the sushi I can get back in the bay area, which is reallyyyy rare to find in SB.
I was a little worried about taking my super picky friend here but she actually got mad at me because I hadn't taken her here sooner! So... hey, it passed her pretty-high standards, phew!
I'd have rated it 4 stars for the sushi, but I'm adding one because the first time I came here was during my freshman orientation weekend two years ago, and this is where I first met my current roomie and one of my closest friends in SB. :') So I believe there must be pretty good karma energy in here! -
Review from Michelle S.
Los Alamos, CA
11/28/2011
We stopped in on our way back to Los Alamos after the long holiday weekend and were not bowled over by the experience. The service was terrible. Both the wait staff and sushi guys were slow. We were through our second roll when my husband finally got his sake. The sushi guys were distracted by a customer at the sushi bar who was distracting them with her chit chat. The food was interesting though and high quality.
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Review from Robin W.
Santa Barbara, CA
10/2/2011
I have been to Ahi Sushi quite a few times, and each time I've gone the service gets worse and worse. I go because they have great vegetarian rolls that use rice/soy paper vs. just the seaweed wrap.
My most recent experience is as follows:
The menus and table we sat at wreaked. It seems as though they wiped both surfaces with a disgustingly dirty washcloth.
I gave the waitor feedback about that and got a 'deer in headlights' look. However he pulled a co-worker aside and they started sniffing and wiping down all the menus (quite a strange sight to see).
I order two rolls, the Fried Garden and Bright Garden.
They put seaweed wrap instead of the other into the rolls....so I sent it back. No harm done, it sucks to waste food however I can't do the seaweed wrap. The sushi chef seemed bothered by my request, as though it were my fault. Even though I wanted to cause harm with a chopstick I decided against it....
They F-up the sauces on them each time, which is really weird (it shouldn't be hard). So I asked for a side of one sauce (which of course is the one we wanted and didn't get as planned on the menu), and was told that they may have to charge us for the sauce.... FOR REAL?!?!
Then, after a couple more rolls, instead of asking if we wanted anything else they just handed us the check and didn't say a word. I spoke up and said um, excuse me....are we allowed to order more? Is that a problem? They again looked at me like I had three heads and the be-grudgingly made another roll.
This is by far the worst experience I've had here, but there is never a manager present. It's strange how it's so dang busy with such awful service.
I will be finding another sushi place for vegetarian friendly rolls. -
Review from Madeleine V.
Santa Barbara, CA
7/31/2011
My husband took me to your restaurant last night. on my sons birthday it was fantastic and I hear Julika Lackner Fine art Painting are going to be showing there in august as well cant what to go there then again The food in the best in Santa barbara.
http://madphoto.com -
Review from Cody P.
Oakland, CA
9/1/2011
Solid sushi without exorbitant prices. All around solid experience; however, I definitely would recommend sitting at the bar if you are in even the most remote of hurries. This restaurant is perpetually understaffed and the food always comes out slowly.
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Review from Janet C.
Goleta, CA
7/9/2011
We had excellent service and some really good rolls. Vivid is a treat for the eyes and taste buds
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Review from PJ T.
Santa Barbara, CA
9/29/2011
Went there last night for the first time because of an sbclick special. Food was great and the servers and sushi chef were fun. Ambiance could be improved.
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Review from Angelina W.
Santa Barbara, CA
2/6/2012
First visited on 2/3/12, Ahi Sushi's food was pretty good. I think I would only rate this place four stars, tops. The reasoning behind that is because of the service. Our server kept getting our orders wrong (but she quickly corrected them). She was very nice and sweet but the service was...terrible. The staff was running around like crazy and it wasn't even that busy. After tipping a fair amount, the amount charged on my card was more than what my receipt said. I wrote "cash" on the tips line...I'd eat here again, though, the food is good and the prices are pretty reasonable.
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Review from Barb M.
Ventura, CA
4/6/2009
I feel kind of funny writing this review as I keep wondering what did I miss during my visit? Did I not order the right item? I've heard a ton of wonderful things about this place and sadly, I felt disappointed. On the upside, this place was clean, with great service and the sushi was fresh.. On the "I'm broke and am not sure how I live in Santa Barbara" downside, it's pretty expensive for what you get and we ended up spending way more than was expected.
I have honestly tasted better at places like I Love Sushi in Ventura and Sushi Teri in GOLETA... The portions at Ahi were small in comparison to these other establishments and I spent twice as much here. However, I loved that they had one of the Japanese beer's on tap, slurp! I don't think I'll go here again, but not because it's awful food... I just can't afford it. -
Review from Jay P.
San Jose, CA
7/22/2009
I had Ahi Sushi when staying overnight in Santa Barbara during a road trip. The food was fantastic. The negitoro maki was exquisitely fresh, while the california rolls had real crab meat (a must). The rolls were very creative combinations of flavors and colors--the Ragin Cajun in particular was an amazing treat (blackened salmon, avocado, asparagus, red onions and a lovely sauce).
I agree with some of the others that the food was a bit pricey, but I don't see a problem with paying more for good food. The sushi chefs were beyond talented and the seafood was so fresh, it may have been wiggling on my plate.
Sure, we have our favorite sushi joints at home. And, yeah, new and different usually makes a greater impact than the old standby. But I'm actually eager to return to this spot the next time I'm in SB. I'm curious to check out the other concoctions, and maybe even get into the sake collection. -
Review from danielle m.
Long Beach, CA
3/30/2010
This place.. For the lack of a better term, SUCKED! First off, $9 a roll for 6 pieces of overly bland sushi was very disappointing. I would've had better luck going to the grocery store. At least that would've had taste.
We went there on Sunday night after a long day out. The iced tea was all watered down. I'll say it, we had sugar water!
The sushi was bland. I shit you not, everything tasted the same. We had 4 rolls and called it quits. We also took a chance and ordered the wasabi duck tempura. There was no flavor, no spice, just a greasy mess. The "ragin' cajun" was a joke. We even asked for extra cajun seasonings. There was nothing' remotely close to being hot on it. We put tons of wasabi on it and still had no luck. Dude, really? When is wasabi not hot!? We tried the roll with jalapenos in it.. Man, you might as well have put in a bell pepper.
The atmosphere was okay. Service was nonexistent. It took a while to get a roll made with 3 chefs. Poor things. We tipped them out of pity for having to work so hard. It's a small place. There was tagging on the outside walls. The neighborhood is sketchy. We walked in to see a group of Asain folk in there thinking it was an okay place. Maybe they were tourists too.
Look... I've been to enough Sushi places in my life to feel I can judge fairly. And I work right around the corner from J-Town downtown Los Angeles. This place missed the mark... Nasty Style! -
Review from Michelle S.
Oakland, CA
10/5/2008
Don't judge an establishment by outside appearances and don't be afraid to stray off-the-beaten-path for that "diamond in the rough" known as this sushi establishment. Seriously, despite not being in the middle of shi shi Downtown State Street and looking like one of many janky Oakland Koreatown establishments, this place has the freshest sushi I've ever had and one of the easiest parking options on the Central Coast. (Ever tried parking around Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo? It's obnoxious....not San Francisco obnoxious...but its own level of frustration). So, um, go a little further for this place. Also, since it is not in the middle of downtown, it is a bit less expensive than the sushi restaurants downtown (though, like everything else in Santa Barbara, still more expensive than I am used to spending on sushi).
Did I mention the fresh fish? I mean, I purposely ate enough sushi to feed three people because I didn't know when I would get sushi this fresh again. I did not get any of their signature rolls...though they are a favorite of my friend who lives down there. I had multiple orders of salmon nigiri and their salmon carpaccio (and it was, like, explosively orgasmic in my mouth and I almost never use lewd and inappropriate language to describe food...). It just tasted so....CLEAN. The sake list was short, but impressive. However, I just got their house sake...which is Geikkan (sp?)...and this is a major step up from the paint thinner known as Ozeki Dry that everyone else seems to use as their house sake. Service was ok; this place is certainly not recommended for big groups though.Listed in: Central Coast Chaos
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Review from Christophe S.
Santa Barbara, CA
1/8/2007
The best sushi in Santa Barbara (period)
Whenever I feel like getting sushi that is comparable to what you can find in Japan (I lived there for almost a year), I always go to Ahi. I know the main chef and have talked to him about why it is sooo good and he told me that they get some of their fish from the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo - the largest and best fish market in the world. But he also has his secret weapon which is the fresh uni (sea urchin) from the local Santa Barbara waters - which I think is better than the uni you can get in Japan, seriously! Really though, I love going to this place. I just wish they could knock down the wall and take over the seedy restaurant next door so that they could serve more people. It sucks when fantastic places get discovered and everyone moves in. The wait can sometimes be long, but it is definitely worth it.Listed in: Japanese
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Review from Madeleine S.
Santa Maria, CA
10/8/2011
Great food. The service is amazing, especially Chloe! She rocks!
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Review from Constance C.
East Bay, CA
9/26/2010
I was craving sushi so a friend who lives in the area took me here.
Baysider Roll. With Scallop, Crab and Asparagus. It was pretty good because I love scallops but I think it is more like Japanese fusion than legit Japanese food. Decent for Santa Barbara though nonetheless.
See photos of food, http://potbellypanda.t... -
Review from David L.
4/27/2010
Whether you live in Santa Barbara or are just visiting, GO HERE NOW!
Ahi Sushi has the BEST sushi I have ever had. Always the freshest ingredients, prepared with precision accuracy by the most skilled culinary professionals.
Go there for the sushi rolls, and leave stuffed and satisfied. -
Review from Craig C.
Fresno, CA
9/23/2011
Had a different smell upon entering. Staff was attentative. Prices were a little high for the food u received. Not my favorite sushi bar experience. Staff yelled back and forth for communication. Did not feel relaxed for this experience.
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Review from MScott S.
Santa Barbara, CA
8/19/2007
I soooo want to be able to say Ahi is much better than Arigato, as a sort-of example of a *real* authentic sushi restaurant. It's just not quite there. The mostly Japanese waitstaff and sushi chefs are very attentive, which is refreshing, but I was taken aback by the ridiculous number of lunch combinations and specials. Taken aback by selection, you might ask? Indeed. Generally, if you want more than a couple of well-placed general sushi combos, you should just order straight from the chef. Clearly there is some catering to people who are more about combo creativity than fish quality. And speaking of quality, Ahi's fish is good, and they've got all the right options in place, but it's just not the level of fresh crispness I'd expect for the price.
Still, I'll be here in a heartbeat before shelling out for Arigato. -
Review from Paul H.
Santa Barbara, CA
9/22/2007
It had been about a year since my wife and I had been here. We were actually hoping to try Kampai, which is a restaurant from the original owners of Azuma, but they are closed on Sundays.
As far as Ahi is concerned though, the decor is inviting and the sushi is fresh and tasty, but not as good as some other sushi restaurants in town. I thought that the rolls were sliced too thin as they would just fall apart when picking them up.
The other complaint that we had was being charged $1.50 for about a tablespoon of ponsu sauce for the Hamachi Kama that my wife ordered. That's like charging for soy sauce. They did take off the charge when I questioned them about it, but normally I wouldn't have looked that closely at the bill to even know.
They also don't take American Express, so make sure to bring your Visa or MC. -
Review from Donald N.
Huntington Beach, CA
8/21/2011
There is a hostess/server here that is awesome! The sushi is pretty good here better than most places in SB
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Review from kay k.
Santa Barbara, CA
10/10/2010
This place is unassuming from the exterior or even the interior but don't let that stop you from dining.
First off they close at 9 PM so please go earlier as you can get rushed to order.
I am a big fan of fresh sushi without too much sauce and I got my heart's desire fulfilled. The fish is so fresh and the rolls are very artfully created and taste even better. Your rolls will not be overwhelmed with sauces, thy will be spicy and decadent. I can't say enough good things about the food. I think this is by far THE BEST SUSHI PLACE IN SB. I have found a new home for my Sushi cravings.Listed in: My Neighborhood
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Review from Tea P.
Alameda, CA
3/23/2009
Okay, this is one of my favorite restaurants. I was introduced to the place by a former employee in good standing, come here every other month and go for broke with a big dinner, have been used as a guinea-pig by the chef-owner, and am apparently IP, if not VIP enough to have been given a New Year's Gift of Sake.
This is one of the best places for Sushi in the Santa Barbara area. The fish quality is high, and I particularly love the salmon, yellowtail, eggplant, and shitaki nigiri. The beer and wine list is standard for a good sushi restaraunt, so I can't complain that they don't carry Asahi Black.
They have a wide assortment of rolls that demonstrate a sort of California-Fushion approach to sushi, using fruit, lobster, vinaigrette's, and other oddments a truly traditional place usually doesn't have. On the other hand, like those traditional places very little cream cheese shows up on the menu. Favorite non-standard roll: Champignon. Several kinds of mushroom, heated, with sweet sauce and a spritz of white truffle oil. If you like Mushroom and Sushi-style food, you will love this.
In fairness, I have to admit the waiting staff is a little erratic. Some are excellent, others seem to forget to check in on you, or what it was you asked for last. Since I'm almost always at the bar, this isn't quite as critical. The parking is also limited, as the strip mall it's part of only has a few dozen spots. I usually park at the "extended Ahi parking" along is outer wall. Turn in at the motel next to it instead of at the stripmall itself.
Their entrees are also excellent, though a bit pricey. Order something unique if you are going this route. I highly recommend the Gindara, it's a traditional Japanese sea bass dish, and it is warm, miso-sake-sweet, and you can eat it one flake of fish flesh at a time. The Agedashi Tofu is very good here, and the reason why I now try it at every Japanese restaurant I visit.
The place is elegant-casual and not really a rowdy place. If you want even quieter, go for a late lunch at 1 or 1:30. The lunch deals are good and the focused attention of the chef and waitstaff doesn't hurt.
Ken-san experiments a lot in his cooking, and every few months the specials menu on the chalk board changes around. They are often very unique, and very tasty, so give it a try! (Wasabi Duck Tempura, last time I was there. Mmm.)
Ken and his sushi team are very friendly, and it seems like one slot is filled by a Japanese exchange chef- certainly these cheerful guys seem to disappear "back to Japan" about as often as I convince them to start feeding my girlfriend extra salmon.Listed in: Asian Eatings
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Review from Alan S.
Sebastopol, CA
12/28/2007
Came in from the Bay Area and everyone kept talking about "Arigato." "Arigato," "Arigato," "Arigato." We walked passed Arigato, and it looked fine. But on Yelp, wonderful yelp, there was word about a "rival" sushi joint, one that was more authentic, fresher, and less touristy. Yes, this rival was Ahi Sushi, and rival it did!
Well, truth be told, we didn't actually eat at Arigato, but we did love Ahi. Ahi was fresh. Fish was fantastic. Additionally, the rolls were creative, and flavorful. Wonderful specials, as well. Decor was traditional, and best, no wait.
Rock it, Yelp. You done us good again!
