Mailee H.'s Profile

I really enjoy this place. The food is good for the price. It's certainly not "authentic" Chinese, but frankly over half the people who use that term haven't had real Chinese food anyway. I'm not sure why people are complaining about the price, because I can't imagine going over $10 per person here!

What's great is that the food is organic and in some instances local, and I'm a big proponent of that. And really, this place is cheap for FAST food, let alone organic!

90% of what I've had here is delicious and it's very light on my wallet. The other 10% was a little bland, but it was still cheap and it's nothing that a little (or a lot) of Sriracha sauce can't fix (seriously, what CAN'T it fix?). The cashiers can be brusque and the entrance is a little awkward and cramped, but the atmosphere is really unique and fun for summer evenings. I just wish they were open later...

If you're ambivalent, this place is definitely worth a try at least once. In the off chance you don't like it for some reason, at least you're only out a fiver.

This place is pretty good!

The perks are that the fish is definitely fresh and they're open late, so they satisfy my sushi cravings perfectly! The service was fine, and they were very friendly even though I came 20 minutes before they closed.

The only downside is that they're a tad bit on the expensive side (but hey, it's sushi so it's not going to be cheap) and the cuts of fish are all wrong; they're WAY to big! But again, the fish is fresh, and I'm not going to complain when I get more meat than I had anticipated. :)

All in all, it's a nice place and I definitely prefer it to Mobo Sushi, but I'll still be looking around for a great sushi house in Santa Cruz.

Okay, if you've been in Palo Alto for more than a week, you have to have been to Cho's at least once!

Dead cheap, authentic and so, so delicious. The potstickers sustained me through junior year of high school alone! Also the lotus seed buns and pork buns are amazing. Don't go for any of the entrees, they're pretty bland and terrible. But all of the dumplings, char siu bao and everything is delicious and SO cheap! He's pretty fast too.

It's a mom and pop hole in the wall with terrible ambiance, but the food is amazing and you can even buy his dumplings and stuff frozen to cook for yourself! I see men in suits come in and order HUGE orders all the time to take to executive meetings, so he's not exactly a well-kept secret, but with food so good why would he be? Just remember to bring cash!

Wonderful, high-end sushi restaurant!

The cuts of fish were perfect and traditionally correct, and the otoro...oh, my mouth waters just thinking about their otoro! Seriously, try otoro nigiri here, because this is honestly the only place that I know of that sells it. Most places sell chutoro, which is of lesser quality, though it is also delicious and expensive. This place has the real deal!

We had the $75 omakase and an order of assorted sashimi. Perfect, lovely and delicious. If you're going to come here, order an omakase. The dishes are absolutely divine, unique and still rooted in Japanese cuisine. And the berry pancotta at the end was decadent!

The ambiance was pretty typical of a "fancy restaurant;" low lights and modern decor. The waitresses were okay; really not quite up to par with their food. One was very sweet, but the other was unaccommodating and borderline rude. I wanted to sit at the sushi bar, but the night we went was apparently reserved by several large parties, so we were relegated to a different table, and then switched to ANOTHER one during our meal! Kind of rude, but I guess we weren't as rich as the other customers. Oh well, the food was great!

I only give this four stars because I'm terribly poor, and this place is only worth it if you're willing to spend around $50 per person. It's certainly "executive class" pricing!

THIS PLACE. IT IS TO DIE!

When I was living in Palo Alto I used to come here all the time, and I was a poor high school student! Now as a poor college student, I can only dream that a place as cheap, authentic and delicious as Homma's is somewhere lurking in Santa Cruz...

First, let me highlight the price. Homma's is SO cheap and SO wonderful! I can consistently get a full meal (including a drink) under $10. A SUSHI MEAL FOR UNDER $10! I'm sorry, but that's truly remarkable.

And beyond that, it's AMAZING sushi. Homma overnights most of his fish from Japan, so the fish is very fresh and of very high quality. The temperature of the fish is perfect, and the size of the nigiri, sashimi and maki are just right! For purists, the cuts are not correct, but I guarantee you the flavor is no different than somewhere like Jin Sho.

Plus the brown rice is delicious and healthy! Honestly I can barely taste the difference, and the consistency is the same as any other sushi rice. The unagi is AMAZING. Teriyaki is really much more difficult to do than most people think, but Homma's has got it down pat!

The chef himself is really, really slow, but he is extremely thoughtful and deliberate (I assume he is Homma). There is only one chef, and after a while he gets to know you. I assume that the older woman is his wife and the younger boy his son, and they're all really sweet, especially the kid! He ran after me down the street when I forgot to take my coke. Once in a while you see an ancient Japanese man just standing around surveying the place from the corner (I assume the father of Homma? Maybe Homma himself?) which I personally get a kick out of.

The ambiance here is not good. It's a hole in the wall, fluorescent lighting and plastic chairs place. But I still love sitting outside; it feels so homey and private. However if you want something with a "high end" feel (and pay for it!), go down the street to Jin Sho.

The quality of Homma's Sushi is no less than that of an expensive sushi restaurant and it's at about 1/5 of the price. I recommend this to everyone and anyone, provided you like the taste of delicious fish!

Meh.

After moving to Santa Cruz I've been lazily on the hunt for a good sushi restaurant, and this one doesn't quite make the cut.

It's location is a little odd; right next door to a Trader Joe's, but that's not a big deal, I just thought it was worth commenting on. My boyfriend and I went around 5:30pm, and the interior of the place was so dark! It's a typical "fancy restaurant" ambiance, except they had really cute orange streamers all over the place in celebration of Halloween. Nice hardwood floors, sort of strange floor plan, and it's a little cluttered. We ate outside.

The outdoor seating was quite nice; there was a peaceful fountain and really calming greenery. It wasn't exceptional, but it was certainly pleasant. The women's bathroom has really odd bathroom stall doors... they're on the kitschy side. The waitresses had the same degree of kitsch: "Asiatic" tops and high hair buns. It didn't bother me, but I thought it was kind of funny!

For the price, the food was just okay. I don't consider myself a sushi connoisseur, but I certainly won't eat just anything! We got a couple of bento box meals. The temperature of the sashimi was just right, and the fish itself was decent. Nothing to write home about, but definitely not terrible. The cuts were incorrect, but again that's not a huge deal.

The tempura and chicken teriyaki were on the iffy side; some of the vegetables in the tempura were really oily or just too "meaty" and the teriyaki was mediocre, but teriyaki is a bit of a toughie. The nigiri was really poorly constructed, and the only reason I comment on this is because it was impossible to pick up without it falling apart! I've been using chopsticks my entire life so I thought my boyfriend was just bad at it, but when I wasn't able to it was a little odd.

The salad dressing was terrible! It was sickly sweet. The pickles were quite good though. We got a lot of food, but it was still really expensive for what we got, in my opinion.

The server was really loud! :P She was also really rushed, which was fine since we got out fast, but she seemed eager to be elsewhere.

All things considered, I wouldn't recommend the place, but I wouldn't tell anyone to avoid it either. Personally I won't be making a return trip.

Let me start by saying that I intend to give this place another couple tries, otherwise this review would certainly be lower.

First, the ambiance. It's cute, a little echo-y, but the decor is really charming and the owner is very sweet. The kitchen is essentially in the dining area so you can sort of see what's going on. The waitress didn't seem to speak much English, but we got by fine and she was kind  as well.

Next, the food. It was really quite good and well-priced, and they try to get all of their meat halal and their vegetables from local farmers' markets, so that's a big plus for me.

But here's where things take a nose dive.

I went here with two other friends, and arrived just as they reopened at 6pm. The waitress got us some water and was very prompt at getting our orders down.

Then we waited about 20 minutes. The owner bustled over and said that it was going to take a little bit because a health inspector was there, and we said it was no problem, we weren't in a hurry anyway.

20 more minutes. The health inspector leaves, and in that time another single customer comes in and gets his order taken down.

20 more minutes. The kitchen is definitely cooking, and we look over to see if any of our stuff looks about ready, and we are all a little shocked to see that all the food they are making is being put into take out bags.

20 MORE MINUTES. They finally finish a MASSIVE to-go order for the guy who came in 40 MINUTES AFTER US.

It was a full hour and twenty minutes before we were served. We got a free side of rice, but were charged for the second side when we asked for more.

I know that it was probably just an awkward day for them or something, but the food was not quite good enough for me to want to risk the possible time input to try it again. Also no one ever checked on us or apologized for the wait during the time we were all sitting there just twiddling our thumbs.

It was nice, sure, but honestly it wasn't acceptable that they chose to serve the person who came so much later than us, especially because his order was so large compared to the three dishes we requested. It's not that I wouldn't recommend the place, but my personal experience wasn't exactly stellar.

Delicious!

My review can only be so in-depth because I always get the same thing, but here it goes anyway.

At any taqueria, I always get some number of carne asada tacos (1-5 depending on the place and how hungry I am) and a Mexican Coke. Here I almost always get two and struggle to finish the second one. They don't skimp on the meat, that's for sure! The steak is very delicious and the tacos are made hot and fast.

To me, $1.90 is pretty pricey for a taco, but for how much meat they give you here it's practically like getting two anyway.

The people at the cash register are always extremely friendly; I was short 5 cents once and the guy didn't even hesitate to say that it was totally fine and not to worry at all. I think the lady is starting to recognize me too, so kudos for good memory.

My boyfriend got the carnitas once and he said they were so bad that he couldn't finish them, but having never tried them, I can't judge it. My experience here has always been positive, especially on Sundays when they have the TV on and all the little kids are running around. It feels so comfortable and the food is so good and cheap! It's my favorite taqueria in Santa Cruz.

EDIT: I'm not sure what happened to them, but their meat quality has gone WAY downhill as their prices went up. I'll only knock off a star because the place has sentimental value for me, but they really aren't that good anymore. :(

Well, this place is a really cool hangout spot. The location itself is not inconvenient, but it's the site that makes this place special. The outdoor seating is lovely along the deck, and it's a great place to meet and chat with friends. They use Cruzio for wifi, so sitting outside and surfing the internet is really easy and turns pretty social since you can seat so many people with you. The baristi are really friendly and the indoors has this cool wonky vibe. And the whipped cream is delicious!

But the coffee...oh dear, the coffee. It's terrible. I would put it on the same level as Starbucks. They do the milk separately for each drink (thank god) but they do it just the same as a big chain would; throw it into a bell pitcher and steam it till it changes pitch. That's. Awful. At least they don't let it sit on a heating pad for hours but...damn.

Since the coffee was out, I tried to love them as my friends did for the chai and hot chocolate. The chai is good, but the hot chocolate is nothing spectacular. They just throw a cocoa mix into the heated milk and stir it for a bit, so it separates pretty badly later, plus it just doesn't taste that great. I could do better at home.

I really wanted to like this place because it's really unique and the people that work there are very cool, but I can't justify spending a cent here. Sorry guys.

I LOVE this place!

I come here pretty often. I think it's the octagonal shape that gets me. :P

When I first moved to Santa Cruz, I was worried after going to Pergolesi, an extremely popular coffee spot, that all the coffee here was going to be crap. And then I found Lulu's.

I like a really specific and weird temperature for my cappuccini that most people don't really make well (hell, when I was working at a coffee shop sometimes even I couldn't make it well), and when I asked the barista at hand if he could do it, he cheerfully obliged. And did it perfectly! Huge points to that on the spot.

When I asked any of the baristi about the different coffees they were grinding for that day, all of them were quite knowledgeable and consistent in their descriptions, and even helped me pick a favorite. Everyone that works here I've had a very positive experience with, and most of them remember me and my weird drink! Yay! So, I can vouch for their collective barista memory.

I also had the great opportunity of meeting with the owner. He seems like a great guy and knows his beans inside and out; he tells me that he used to source them back in the day, and that is really impressive.

The house blend is pretty complex, and in a cappuccino I only really tasted the bitters, but as a macchiato you get a chance to experience each level of its flavor, and I didn't really appreciate it till then. However, the Yirgacheffe is BRILLIANT. I encourage everyone to ask for it so they start grinding it again, because it makes every drink into a delicious coffee confection. Mmmmmm Yirgacheffe..

But I digress. The baristi are talented and most of all, consistent. The shots are pulled well, the milk is done right and all of them have a good grasp of the temperature range. Plus the mastermind behind the Horchata and (I assume) the Cafe Sua Da knows what he's doing, and he's awesome. You can tell these people care about their coffee, and that goes a long way. And they're nice!

The room echoes a lot though, and there's very little outdoor seating. It can also get extremely hot in there, much like Lulu Carpenter's. But I really love the Octagon and its location, and I would easily recommend it based only on how great the people are; the amazing coffee is just an added bonus.