4. Restaurants

Sushi N Joy

2530 Vista Way,Ste J, Oceanside, CA, 92054
  • (760) 721-1888
  • Store is closed

Sushi N Joy Menu

Sorry, We are updating this restaurant menu details.

  • Samuel H.

    This place is small, quiet and great for family and friends. It's NOT full of hipsters (Thank God!) , overly loud music and you're not paying extra for the "Scene" or an ocean view. If you're looking for a place to hook up and sip martinis then this isn't your place. Since I'm not looking for these things I've been coming here at LEAST twice a month for 3 or 4 years now. Why I haven't reviewed it yet I have no idea. Soooo, here we go! The first time I came here the biggest impression was Steve looking at a giant piece of tuna that looked really good to me. He looks it over... cuts off a sizable hunk.... looks at the hunk and tosses it in the trash! Not good enough to serve!!!! Rather than grind it up for Spicy Tuna or making a salad with it he tossed it. Not a bad sign.. We've made several "Sushi friends" here since we see a lot of the same people on the nights we go. There's the Friday bunch and the Saturday bunch. Loyal to to Steve and Jaime. The rolls are always fresh and presented beautifully. They are one of the few places I've been that they actually watch you from behind the bar and don't send you a bunch of food at once but let you eat at your pace and deliver as you run low so you're not waiting but also don't have a cramped table of sushi/rolls getting to room temp faster than you'd like! The bar has 14 seats and fills up quickly and stays that way. If you have your heart set on the bar try to show up with less than 4 people and be ready to wait a little. There are several tables that you can almost always walk right in and be seated. The service is the same and you can actually speak with all in your party instead of just the guy next to you. Steve, Jamie and Mr. Kim make the best rolls, salads and sashimi there is. My service has always been fantastic and the price is ALWAYS right!!

    (5)

  • Hirako S.

    Never again. Since I was born and raised in Japan, always try to look for place with great sushi. Of course it is hard to find high quality sushi like japan anywhere around here so I would usually tend to pick one restaurant and stay with it. But one night my husband and I was hungry and it was pretty late at night so we just ended up stopping by this place to have a sushi or two. Since I saw the reviews on yelp and everyone seemed to be raving about it so I thought it was worth a try. I don't know what it was about this place but I didn't get good vibes when I walked in. We were debating whether to stay but since it was late we just decided to stay. Starting with service, it was horrible. I was hoping to have some good sushi so at least it would make my trip worth it, but as soon as we got our order we were extremely disappointed. Quality of fish was horrible. Tastes like fish has been outside for whole day and it seemed like their large quantity is just to cover their bad quality. The price was over priced for the quality they offer. We are never going back there again. Honestly worst place I've ever been to within Oceanside.

    (1)

  • Bonnie L.

    Loves how sushi chef Steve hooks us up with a few shots of sake even though I don't drink.Steve hooks us up with free baked mussels, free salad, free roll and free Mochi dessert. Thanks Steve. Sushi and everything else is great even though thre place is small, it is always packed and customers out the door waiting!!

    (5)

  • Pamela A.

    This is my new favorite sushi place! One day my friends and I were all talking about how much we wanted sushi and one of them suggested Sushi N Joy. She mentioned that her and her husband are regulars there and it was amazing. She did not lie! A couple of us all went to check out the hype. They immediately sat us down at a table, asked our drinks and brought a plate of muscles, one for each person. It was magnificent, I wanted to just buy the muscles alone! The menu is ranged anywhere from $4-$15+. Since it was me and my husband's first time there we got a few things. I ordered a Shrimp Crunchy Roll and he bought Spicy Tuna Roll and we shared a Philadelphia Roll. All of plates got to the table quickly and the the waitresses were always friendly and asked to refill our drinks! My plate took the longest but it was worth the wait! It is by far some of the best sushi I've had since Japan! Definitely going back! The business was also very clean and even the owner walked around asking refill anyone's sake. Which was also delicious! Trust me, you have to try it!

    (5)

  • Cyndee D.

    Steve and Staff thank you! We vacation in your area and can't wait each year to visit you! Amazing sushi!

    (5)

  • Andrew M.

    Honest Review- Sushi N Joy WAS my sushi retreat whenever I had a crave for fresh, tasty, and delicious sushi. That was about one one year ago, now the sushi taste lower quality and the albacore is very mushy. The service is poor and the dining area is too small. Not sure if I'll ever go back again but I truly hope Sushi N Joy brings up there game and improves their sushi quality.

    (3)

  • Rian R.

    Best sushi place ever. Huge portions and fresh and delicious. They bring you free food and free sake! How can you possibly beat that? Albacore nigiri pieces are huge withe steak like chunks of meat. I'll definitely come back to this place

    (5)

  • Mark S.

    this place is a joke. they give you a bunch of free gimmicky stuff to cover up the fact that the sushi is not really good.

    (2)

  • Brit S.

    Best sushi place around. I've probably eaten at every sushi establishment in north county and I can honestly say I have never been served a bad dish here. Anytime we have a date night we come here. Small place though so we try to avoid the busy hours so we can get a bar seat

    (5)

  • Amber G.

    Sushi wasn't pretty but it was good. Taste is much more important anyway. The seaweed was just a little tough but ok. Server was good. Place could use an update.

    (4)

  • Savannah B.

    First time there tonight after reading and hearing some amazing reviews. My thoughts replicate other reviewers for the most part... Pros: - Big portions, WAY bigger than any sushi joint I've been to - Nice freebies like cold sake and baked mussels (not sure if you have to be sitting at the bar?) - Good prices - Good service Cons: - Sushi chef yells when order is ready then servers lean over you (counter) to pick up rolls. Kind of adds to the experience and is kind of distracting. - Overall ambiance is less than desirable. They could work on the decor to give it a little more charm. - Although portions were huge nigiri was just good, I've had better but it was decent. Overall, not the bests sushi I've ever had but definitely very good. For the price and the portion sizes I would return.

    (4)

  • Mandy G.

    I have to admit, when I walked into this place I thought it was a hole in the wall. At first they seemed sketch but my mind was sure made up when the food came. I have been to several placed around the area and this is by far the best tasting and all around shushi restaurant. The cooks were so generous with so many things on the house and every roll tasted so fresh and delish!! You have to give it a try don't judge a book by its cover.

    (5)

  • Jason N.

    Love it here, the portions are always huge, the fish tastes fresh, Steve the owner is always here and always friendly and awesomely funny!. This place is no joke if you are hungry, there is no waiting around once you order its amazing how fast your fish is served to you. Love the Shiro Maguro (Albacore) and the Ankimo(Monk Fish Liver). The Hand rolls here are also giant! Make sure you come in hungry!

    (4)

  • Jesus M.

    This is the go to place for the Wifey & I. Fish always tastes fresh and the service is great.

    (4)

  • Natalia M.

    Sushi n Joy is a hole in the wall kinda place. I came here on a random night (Tuesday I think) and the sushi bar was packed. We sat ourselves and we were brought over two menus. Service was ok. The server didn't introduce herself and didn't really make small talk. Their drink menu is very limited. Only a few beers and sake. I ordered the cold sake which came out in this weird wooden box. I think it was cool but I def. wouldn't order it again because it was hard to drink from the box. We got complimentary mussels while waiting for our sushi which was delicious! I ordered the crouching tiger roll which was phenomenal! I would come back for just that roll. We also got a complimentary piece of desert right before we left which was ice cream. I would recommend this place if you want a quick place to eat some sushi. Service wasn't all that great and the drinks weren't impressive either. Sushi on the other hand was delicious.

    (4)

  • Jeannette G.

    This was a nice surprise! My husband and I walked in not expecting much from the outside. We sat at the sushi bar where we were served free mussels (yummy), we got our rolls quickly (so delicious, esp the spicy tuna), and even got free mochi for dessert. Drinks were always full and it was not crowded at all on a Wednesday evening. It was quiet and really nice to just sit and eat good sushi with no rush and plenty of freebies. Will definitely come back again. :-)

    (5)

  • Vince C.

    Best Sushi ever! Try the lemon flavored. Great service....like the extras. We will be back.

    (5)

  • rae v.

    I actually chose this sushi place because of its rating on Yelp. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to its reviews. Maybe we didn't order the right things? How could a restaurant have so many stars and yet, fall so short of its expectations. First off we went for lunch. The atmosphere is a chill family owned hole in the wall place. We ordered a teriyaki bowl, salmon sashimi, and an alaskan roll. We got 1 bowl of miso soup that came with the teriyaki bowl. It was ok. The sashimi was pretty good but it came with these weird salmon and rice rolls which I think defeats the purpose of sashimi, but maybe there were meant as like an "extra" to the sashimi? Overall, it was better than most. Although, compared to our favorite sushi place in Gardena, CA it just didn't cut it and was kind of pricey. Teriyaki bowl and alaskan roll... average or above average. I'm seriously confused as to why this place has so many stars. Did we come on an off day? Did we not order the right things? Conclusion: An A-OK sushi place that's probably better than most. But it just doesn't make the cut with this sushi lover.

    (3)

  • Brian B.

    Doesn't look like much from the outside.... but don't be fooled!! large portions and the chef drinks with ya. Gave us free appetizers and had waitresses on hand for every beckoning call. Great fish from a pro! Prices seemed normal, but once you see the sizes it is a great deal.

    (5)

  • Sue L.

    This is a great little sushi place! My favorite in SD county! Yes, it is in a strip mall. Yes, they do have a dead puffer fish hanging from one of the laterns... but the sushi is beyond wonderful! The rolls and the pieces are huge. The hand roll was piled up like an ice cream cone and over flowing! You definitely get your money's worth. They even have an all you can eat option which is a pretty good deal if you can manage to eat that much (anything off of the menu excluding specials and sashimi). Wait staff is friendly and very polite. The owner and head sushi chief is a total character! Stay on his good side and he will be very good to you! Definitely a nice little low key place with excellent food. Totally worth a try if you are in the neighborhood!

    (5)

  • Scott H.

    I enjoy Sushi N Joy very much. I remember going in there one time and getting yelled at by the lady behind the counter. It was funny as hell. I wanted a menu that had pictures. I love sushi and all, but I don't know the stuff by heart. She screamed "we no have no pictures!" I about pee'd on myself. The place is pretty good. The price isn't have bad either. When we think of going for sushi, we heard over to Sushi N Joy.

    (4)

  • Diane D.

    The sushi is always very fresh and always a lot of it! The owners are extremely friendly and serve a free appetizer. Very good value. I love this place!

    (5)

  • Hung N.

    This joint is a frenetic 50-seater that offers loud service, anxious help, and most importantly, good food. Since everyone here reviews the sushi, which I enjoy, I thought I'd review one of their dinner entrees. The Calimari Steak is breaded and fried to a deep brown, accompanied by a selection of shrimp and vegetable tempura and a salad.. The crispy fillet is presented to you cut into squares and slathered in sweet teriyaki and chopped scallions. The remarkably crisp breading is straightforward with no embellishments, and holds up well to the teriyaki sauce. After neglecting the dish for a few minutes in order to speak to my friends, I returned to the calimari pleasantly surprised it was still crispy. The calimari steak itself wasn't tough or chewy, but it had enough bite to remind you that you were indeed eating squid. The tempura was a disappointment. The tempura batter was deflated and appeared shriveled, it's texture a little dry due to over-frying, and as a result so was the product within the batter. For example, the sweet potato flesh should've been warm and tender, a smooth texture offering a slight resistance when bitten. The texture of mine were rubbery and the wedge itself easily flopped back and forth when held vertically. Considering its relative simplicity, as well as the success of the calimari steak, I was expecting a lot more from the second half of my entree. Overall, it was a solid meal. While the atmosphere may be frantic, the food is no-nonsense and tasty. I may have sounded a little overcritical in the second portion of this review, but I love tempura, so I tend to get a little passionate about it. I realize the review sounds like a three-star, but I didn't write about the salmon sushi order which I enjoyed. I know I'll be going back so it must be four stars.

    (4)

  • Bianca G.

    i tried hearth attack and philadelphia roll and was ok!! the chief is very friendly! and im not going back =\

    (3)

  • Marvin B.

    what can I say? I HEART sushi N joy their fish is fresh man...i mean like..they have lil crabbys skivvy across the bar just for giggles...the uni is still moving and the chefs are so great.. they make you special meals and there is ALWAYS a wait..and its worth it..they will serve you complementary edamame while you wait..:) sit at the bar..the tables are not the same. Thier tuna karai is to live for...spicy..fresh and HUGE! ask them whats fresh..let them do their thing..their menu is rediculous..so so many rolls..screaming orgasm and whose your daddy is great.. enjoy..and go with the evening to spare..you might just want to stay and close down shop with them.. i stick with the sushi..

    (5)

  • Celeste M.

    Ugh, gross. I can't speak about their sushi, but their teriyaki (both chicken and beef) was disgusting. We (my mother, my grandmother and I) sat down at a table, and when the woman came up we asked her if they did anything but sushi; she said "Um, let me check." Not a good sign. Still, it was moving on towards one and we were hungry, and we'd taken the time to maneuver my wheelchair-bound grandmother into the restaurant, so we decided to go through with it. This was a mistake! The chicken was tough and flavorless, the beef was stringy, the rice was undercooked, and there was no sauce to speak of. None of us ate more than a couple bites, and we left just as hungry as we came.

    (1)

  • Tana P.

    Pretty darn impressive, if I must say so myself! Wait... who else would say so? Nevermind ;) So we went and sat at the sushi bar. First impressions were that the layout of the seating areas were pretty darn cramped. Didn't stop us though. We stepped right up and I swear, they must have known that we were first timers here. The dude who appeared to be the owner, chilled back behind the sushi bar hollering commands here and there, and when he wasn't, he was observing how it all was shakin' down. I think he's the one who spotted us taking forever on our menus, deciding whether or not we wanted all-you-can-eat, or just ala carte. In the meantime, they plop a little free appetizer in front of everyone. Delicious! We ended up going the ala-carte route. I ordered the small sashimi, and ended up what looked to be the large. TONS of super fresh fish. My husband ordered his usual foo foo rolls, and they were super delicious and creative all the same. Then, after we were stuffed to the max (and trust me, we can eat like barbarians), dude behind the sushi bar threw some desert at us. And it just happened to be my favorite ever Japanese treat - deep fried green tea ice cream. Even after all that food, we spent just under $60 for the two of us (including a few Kirin). All in all, dirt cheap for the food we got! Funny story - At that point, we were definitely about to 'splode so my husband got up to pay the bill. While he stood somewhere between the sushi bar and the hostess station / cash register, he got caught in the line of fire. Remember the dude behind the sushi bar? He was hollering stuff in Japanese to his daughter at the register. Big line of people outside the restaurant with no space to pile in was apparently making him nuts. Open tables + no customers sitting at them = sad customers and no money for the restaurant. Regardless of that, it was pretty fun. We look at it now like he was the sushi nazi (similar to the soup nazi from Seinfeld), and we are still laughing about the experience. The food and the experience had us when we walked in the door. Can't wait to go back and create some new memories while filling our bellies with super fresh fish! Only bummer on all-you-can-eat, is that you can't get sashimi (booo hooo!!!). Rolls only.

    (4)

  • Willie L.

    Great quality sushi and friendly service together at last! Sushi 'n Joy totally cured my sushi fix after a long day of work. I can't believe I haven't found this place sooner, have people been holding out on me?? The chef was very friendly, so sit at the bar and he'll take care of you. Or rather, your stomach. The sashimi was so delicious. Pay no attention to the (almost) 1/2 inch thick pieces of fish, those fatties will do their little dance on your tongue; and they are damn good at it! I am still drooling about the salmon and yellow tail from yesterday... Oh joy, with portions like these, forget about the rolls! Straight up sashimi please!!

    (5)

  • Jackson P.

    Steve, the sushi chef is super cool. He makes you feel like home. This is a no-frill sushi joint that you'll come if you want fresh sushi, good company and generous portions. Ask for the moonshine that comes in bamboo "buckets". Steve will take care of you.

    (4)

  • ML T.

    This place is my new favorite place to go for sushi in north county. The first time i went was when a friend and i were suppose to go to all-you-can-eat across the street but since they were closed we came over to sushi nd joy, and I'm glad we did! since then, ive gone here plenty of times and each time was just as satisfying. Its a small mom and pop shop and since its the owner and his wife making the sushi, the portions are huge and incredibly filling. I get full off of half a rainbow roll, and trust me, I CAN EAT! i brought my mom here couple weeks ago and she was a little dissapointed since shes not a big fan of rolls. she wanted hamachi kama(yellowtail collar) and agedashi tofu, neither were on the menu. But we asked the owner and he replied with a loud HAI! and fast forward 10 in later we had perfectly fried agedashi tofu and not one, but two huge peices of hamachi kama cooked to perfection. needless to say, mom was a happy camper and so was I. in total we had a rainbow roll, caterpillar roll, agedeashi tofu, hamachi kama and the damage? $32. wowers. can't beat that!

    (5)

  • katrina b.

    Yum! Yum! Yum! They should call this place melt in your mouth sushi. Absolutely delicious not only for the price but for the quality of fresh fish they serve. It's small, quaint, and doesn't look like much from the outside but I was thoroughly satisfied. They give you complimentary edemame and top off your rolls with extra fish or sea weed salad. Me and a friend had 5 rolls and 2 large sakes for less then $50. This is by the far the best sushi in North County San Diego and maybe the best I've had! I highly recommend this place!

    (5)

  • Cher L.

    I love hole in the wall sushi joints and this one certainly does not disappoint. Home of the lurking waitresses who hover over your table and are ready with pitcher of water in hand before the last drop of water in your glass even hits your lips. I guess I prefer over-attentiveness to under-attentiveness. I've never sat at the bar but from what the other reviews say about the chef yelling at the servers it makes sense that they would lurk. I've been here tons of times and never noticed the yelling when sitting at the tables so I guess if that sort of thing bothers you it may be best to opt for a table instead of sitting at the bar. I am also a fan of freebies so the complimentary edamame and mochi bites puts this restaurant at the top of the charts for me!

    (5)

  • Shari B.

    This place is great if you are looking for a little hole in the wall whose portions are HUGE and whose fish is good. Pros: -Large portions. Hand roll comes with a large lump of extra fish. Sashimi comes with 4 pieces instead of the standard 2. -Free Edimami and Mochi dessert. -Price: they are cheap -Fish quality is good and fresh. -Staff is very friendly. Cons: -the only negative is the outdated tables and chairs. Not much to complain about.

    (4)

  • Meredith B.

    MIGHTILY DISAPPOINTED. New to the area and was looking for a great sushi place. Based on reviews, my friend and I picked this place, and we are seriously regretting it. My friend's caterpillar roll had way too much sauce and was too sweet to eat. The "heart attack" roll is super fried, the tuna was so-so, and the jalapeno chunks were way too big. I took two bites and threw the rest away. Which is a shame because it wasn't cheap. We got 4 rolls and paid over $50. So, next to our favorite place, Sushi Deli (amazing sushi + low prices), $50 was astronomical. Very disappointed, will never go again, wish I could get a refund. Also not a good ambience. Dirty, I had to double check in the window to see if it was an "A" rating (it is). I'm not normally so hard on a place, but they really earned it.

    (1)

  • mike s.

    "I'D RATHER EAT A BOWL OF FIRE!!!' Then to eat sushi from this place again, and maybe that wouldn't be a bad thing because it would burn that bad taste out my MOUTH!!!! This place was horrible. My 4year old son could make better sushi than the sushi shokunin can. In fact i think I'm going to send my son to help this guy out. If your thinking about going there don't; the only thing worse then the sushi was the service. The place was busy (don't know why) so it took 15 min. before my family was seated which wasn't bad..only the hostess (daughter) and waitress (mom) were yelling in a foreign language 2 each other which was a lil awkward. I know this place was a hole in the wall, but i didn't know the hole was from a bad 1980s Japanese movie it was dirty (sign1) and and smelled of bad fish (sign2). @ this point my wife looks @ me, and has lets run all over her face (sign3). I looked @ her said we are already here lets just try it you never know:) when we finally got our sushi it looked like a hot dog rolled in rice (LITERALLY!) was super sloppy and to no suprise it tasted how it looked. This place doesn't desevre 1 star. ALL I GOT TO SAY IS BAD BAD BAD.

    (1)

  • Jen A.

    9 years ago I had my first taste of sushi here. I've moved up and down the CA coast and even Monterey Bay didn't have sushi this delicious. This was the first place I took my friends when returning to Oceanside and they were amazed at the tantalizingly tasteful - fresh sushi. Definitely a hole-in-the-wall atmosphere, the owners are amazing and have never failed! I believe it is a husband and wife ran business, the husband is the sushi chef. Rolls are very economical, my favorite is the philly (it resembles more Rainbow Roll than the traditional philly with slabs of Salmon on top) Delicious!!

    (5)

  • Rachel B.

    Incredible! Incredible!! Took a scenic drive from LA down to Oceanside and Yelped to see where my husband and I should eat. Now this place didn't look super nice, but the reviews were so high we thought hey, maybe we'll end up trying some local gem. This was the best priced, best tasting, HUGEST portioned, most incredible roll selection sushi I have ever encountered. And the FREE little mochis at the end... just divine! If we're in the area, or just craving good sushi enough to drive almost 2 hours for it, then we will surely be back. You are LUCKY if you living close enough to come here regularly.

    (5)

  • Karen C.

    The best sushi around and at a reasonable price. The Pearl was amazing to say the least. Crouching tiger roll and lemon roll was delicious and very filling. Its a mom and pop shop that has grown faster than it planned to so expect a wait when you get there. The taste and quality of their sushi is worth waiting for. Definitely highly recommend this place!

    (5)

  • Jeannie H.

    On a mission to find the best sushi place in the area and after seeveral places I think we found a winner. The combinations are amazing we've been here a couple different times and every roll we had was absolutely amazing! The service is great and the prices are even better. This is defintely the best deal in town. It was the first sushi place that reminded me of the places we went to in Japan. Forget about favorite sushi place, this is our favorite restaurant! You also get free japanese icecream mmm!

    (5)

  • Heather T.

    Hubby and I just moved to Oceanside so we were on the hunt for a new Sushi spot (we get sushi at least once a week). We found Sushi N Joy... As soon as we walked in I noticed an odor?! Sat down and asked for a high chair for our 7 month old, first one she brought us was broken and the second was filthy. Finally got to our menu's (WAY over priced!!!) Hubby and I both ordered 2 rolls. When we were served, we asked which roll was which and she had no clue! There were a few complimentary item's but neither of us enjoyed them. Though the sushi was good, we most likely will not be returning to Sushi N Joy =(

    (3)

  • Tony T.

    Best sushi bar in north county.

    (5)

  • Robert R.

    Great service great food the restaurant looks amazing the chicken teriaki was the best I love the soup and I also love the fried vegetables fried shrimp. I'm definitely coming back to this restaurant.

    (4)

  • Stephanie N.

    Sushi N Joy is delightful. Others have said the sushi melts in your mouth and they couldn't be more accurate. The only downside is their sushi chef/ owner will sometimes start yelling at his employees when the restaurant gets busy, so try to avoid lunch and dinner hours. So if you aren't too into ambiance, Sushi N Joy is for you! Their Albacore and Salmon nigiri are to die for! If you're into rolls, you must try the Christmas Roll!

    (4)

  • Rick W.

    Great food. FAST service. My new favorite north county sushi place. Don't let the location fool you.

    (4)

  • Eric K.

    Hands down the best sushi place I've found in the area. Reasonably priced items mostly, along with some really, really good deals if you read the menu carefully. Go there a couple of times and the owners will throw complimentary appetizers and deserts your way. Husband and wife owners with an almost Tampopo-like rapport among staff and customers. If you don't fall in love with Sushi N Joy, I suggest entering therapy for your personality disorder.

    (5)

  • Sabrina M.

    This place is delicious compared to the average hole in the wall kind of sushi. Definitely one of my top choices for sushi when I am in the all-you-can eat kind of mood! Unfortunately, they close between lunch and dinner so be sure to get there outside of those hours!

    (4)

  • Travis U.

    REVISED REVIEW They no longer offer all-you-can-eat sushi. The good sushi isn't enough to make up for the disgusting bathrooms, smelly restaurant, bad service, and now high prices. I ate at "Hon Sushi" tonight, and they're pretty darn good and pretty darn inexpensive for all you can eat. If you're looking for quality all-you-can-eat in the Oceanside area, give "Hon Sushi" a try. OLD REVIEW BELOW Food quality: 4-5 (I weighted very heavily for food quality. lol) Price: 4 Service: Overall, 3 to 5. Atmosphere: Overall, 2 -- Bathrooms: 1 -- Tables: 3 -- Servers: 2-3; the wife is one of the servers, and the other hardly speaks English, so it makes things difficult. As far as all-you-can-eat sushi goes, this is the best I've ever had. It's one of the best sushi joints I've been to, on every occasion I've been there. And, I highly recommend you order their albacore and ama ebi! Fantastic... However, some people have said the owners are crazy. I think this is true of the wife. The husband seems cool. We've been there quite a few times, so we're good customers. Well, we ended up getting the wrong roll once and we hated it--I think it was our fault. Maybe put the check mark in the wrong box? Now, I couldn't understand them, but at that point the wife acted as if she didn't want to continue to serve us. (o_0) The husband yelled at her, she yelled back, and ultimately he prevailed and kept sending us food. In short, he seems to have the customer service thing down, but the wife doesn't. Granted, she wasn't "rude", but she was clearly disturbed that there was a mess-up. Anyway, despite all of that, we keep going back because we love the food. And, a few of the sushi chefs are pretty awesome.

    (2)

  • Melody P.

    One day I will have the courage to return...with Pepto Bismol in hand. This place is 50xs better than disgusting Nobu in San Diego...but packaged store bought is also better than Nobu...so theres one star. They get another star cuz they're not stingy with portions...I use to eat there all the time, till the last two times...lets just say " you need to thoroughly wash them dishes people!"

    (2)

  • Marianne D.

    Only thing I liked was the California rolls.. disappointment!

    (1)

  • Candice A.

    I went to this little hole in the wall place because of the rave reviews from a friend of a friend. It was indeed a hole in the wall (don't sit anywhere near the back of the small restaurant if you can help it), but the sushi was fantastic! Amazingly fresh, big portions, and pretty darn cheap. My boyfriend and I ate ourselves into a coma for less than $50. We had so much food that I thought we were going to have to take some of it home. I would definitely go here again. You should go, too! But don't expect any ambiance -- just unexpectedly great sushi.

    (5)

  • Theresa A.

    I was in the area for work and happened upon the place after shopping at TJs. Was happy to hear the folks speaking Korean in there since I'm Korean. Nice and comforting. But can Koreans do sushi? Ummm, yes, affirmative. Or should I say, NE, and nod emphatically. The lemon roll could turn a bad day into a good one. And try the hidden dragon roll and your sleepy dragon tastebuds will wake the hell up and spread their dragon wings and then clap them together with JOY! Yes! I had sushi and it brought me joy, so the place lived up to its name. Fast service, cheap rolls, and fresh flippin fish, y'all.

    (5)

  • Victor H.

    Frankly I'm saddened and disgusted by some of the negative reviews on here. In my experience(Which I can assure you is quite broad)Sushi N Joy is one of the finest Establishments I've ever had the privilege of visiting. I have never encountered any of the issues/problems mentioned in some of the other reviews and I have found the service mostly exceptional, although when it gets extremely busy the wait time does tend to increase, but that is the case anywhere you go and so should hardly be a factor in any honest evaluation. The sushi is quite possibly the best I have ever consumed. The rolls are big but not too big with a perfect rice to fish ratio. The nigiri is positively breathtaking and Sushi N Joy is always very generous with the amount of fish used, very often adding extra pieces of Sashimi along with your order(Something you will rarely encounter anywhere else). The owner(Steve)is attentive and engaging but not obnoxious and seems to go out of his way to please his customers. If its a small crowd and atmosphere you want try Sushi 21 across the street, the oboxious lady who runs the joint will be quite happy to see you For everyone else I recommend Sushi&Joy

    (5)

  • Aaron F.

    Not bad, my wife's favorite place but then again, she's a sushi fanatic so any sushi place might be 4 to 5 stars for her. There's really no ambiance here and it's quite small. The owner is very nice though and the prices aren't too bad. I usually just stick to the California Rolls (probably filled with more crab then most places which is one of the reasons I still come here) or Mexican rolls. I'm not too fond of the hours of operation though. Pretty fast service. If you're looking for a romantic dinner, this is not the place, more for a "first date" agenda really. Friends and families would enjoy this place for sure.

    (3)

  • Paul Y.

    I really liked the Pearl roll they have. It's salmon, tuna, yellowtail sashimi wrapped with cucumber and other things. It is a very unique roll, so that's why I enjoyed it. I also have an aunt named Pearl so I like the name of the roll. I also got smoked salmon sushi, which i liked a lot.

    (5)

  • Annie T.

    I love this place! My friend had introduced me to this wonderful place. It's tucked away in the middle of nowhere...but food is awesome! Generous, fresh and DELICIOUS! I am craving it again as I write....While the style is not more authentic than other sushi places...this is a MUST for any sashimi/sushi fans!

    (5)

  • Kristin R.

    One word yuck! This place needs some serious help. The hostess was young and inexperienced and the hostess station was dirty and unorganized. Our table was dirty the menus sticky and chairs were stained. The waitress spoke little english which was very confusing/irritating. The sushi isnt too bad large portions. My diet coke tasted weird and I was altogether disappointed. I spent half my dinner swatting away at first a moth and then a fly. My trip to the restroom was the icing on the cake. There was a hole where the lock on the door used to reside, so I was rushing hoping no one would walk in on me. The bathroom walls were half painted and even the hand soap smelt weird. How this place has an A rating is beyond me. Maybe instead of giving away a bunch of free stuff charge for it and spend some money on some serious remodeling. After my experience I wasnt to pumped getting my 70 dollar bill. Will not go back!

    (1)

  • Harmony D.

    OMG, you Yelpers that are recommending this place must have NO ability to smell or to taste. This place smells odd, the fish sucks and the service, decor and overall cleanliness of the place is awful. I went for dinner with my husband who literally gagged on his sushi roll and had to walk out before he puked. Seriously (and no he was not sick or under the weather)!!!! The nori was soggy, there was an overabundance of not so good fish and the roll looked like it had been thrown together by a 3 year old. Obviously, I am in the minority here but do yourselves a favor and skip this place.

    (1)

  • Justine B.

    I can safely say that here, you can get your money's worth. I came here with my boyfriend last night for dinner and he got 2 salmon skin rolls and I got my salmon skin salad. I got my salmon skin salad first and they were incredibly generous with the salmon! The salad was $6.99 and was enough to fill my tummy! The salmon skin rolls were listed as $3.99 each so we figured they'd be kinda tiny, but we were soo wrong. The salmon skin rolls had so much salmon on them, the dish practically looked like it was all salmon and no rolls. It was delicious, to say the very least and with such generous portions, it was so well worth it! We're definitely coming back here in the very near future!!

    (5)

  • Logan F.

    Service was great. Food was amazing. The only sushi place my wife likes!

    (5)

  • Melanie B.

    This is my favorite place to grab sushi in Oceanside. It's now my Tuesday dinner tradition! I just moved here from Hawaii, so I was excited to find great sushi so close to Camp Pendleton! I love the Tofu Veggie Roll, Inari, Unagi and the Red Dragon Roll (the best!). They have good quality fish and one of the best points is that their eel is not bony like some places. Excellently prepared. They are quick with to-go orders and even feed you edemame while you wait.

    (5)

  • Lisa R.

    One of those hole-the-wall but GOOD places. Their chirashi was HUGE and had the most variety of seafood. Our meal came with some kind of fried mussell appetizer and edemame. The server was new so the sushi chef came out to verify our orders. Nice people. Some items seemed a bit pricey for such a small place in a strip mall. Def going back again though.

    (4)

  • Anthony and Sherrie R.

    Best sushi in San Diego by far. I've gone to all of the ones that win "best sushi", and they just don't compare. This little hole in the wall sushi joint has the best fish I've ever had and their rolls are second to none. The prices are cheaper than anywhere I've gone in California or Arizona, I mean, with full sized rolls for $4.99, maybe they are the cheapest prices in the US! The people that work there are really friendly and will hook their regulars up with special, not-on-the-menu treats. The best rolls are the Lobster roll, Spicy Albacore roll, and the Ocean roll, oh and the Pearl roll. And the Tokyo tower. Other people on yelp.com claim all kinds of other rolls as their favorites, and when you taste their rolls, with such variety of flavor in so many rolls, you can see why all of the rolls can easily become somebody's favorite.

    (5)

  • Tim C.

    Excellent food, reasonable prices, nice people. Don't miss this standout item: baked salmon sushi. It's terrific! - Tim

    (5)

  • John H.

    This place is great. Try the Heartattack roll. It rocks!. The shrimp crunch roll is great too. This is a small place that has great food. You should check it out; I definitely recommended it.

    (5)

  • Geraldine M.

    Food is solid. It's not the best presentation, nor is the venue the roomiest but they serve quality food for decent prices. I'm normally not in the area but I wouldn't mind eating there again!

    (4)

  • Susan B.

    I technically wanted to give this place 5 stars but gave it 4 instead b/c I was only able to eat the cooked sushi and not any of the raw stuff b/c I'm pregnant. So for true sushi fans, cooked rolls are not real sushi. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed all the rolls that I ordered. I also ordered the chicken bowl, which it's pretty clear that they are not masters of the rice bowls yet. The atmosphere is a little ghetto. I thought it was dirty, but stuff like that doesn't really bother me. I also have to say service was a little strange...not bad...just strange. Our waitress was mexican and didn't really understand english so ordering was a little frustrating. But again, stuff like that doesn't really bother me b/c she was still a sweet lady. Plus we got 2 freebie side dishes and free edamame which were sooooo unbelievably delectable!!! I'm definitely going back here for more sushi!!! it's 5 min. from my house so why wouldn't i!!

    (4)

  • Dave U.

    Ate there again today and had a couple of new items...albacore which was served wtih some kind of italian dressing like sauce (fish was good, but sauces was okay), again, they gave some pieces of fish as a sashimi. Also had the unagi which was very good. Also had the Hamachi and Salmon. 8 pieces of sushi, $14, very full. Winner winner sushi dinner...uhhhh, lunch really.

    (4)

  • candace m.

    by far the WORST sushi place ever!!!! came here a few years back with some co-workers for lunch and the fish was gross. oh yea and did i mention the HAIR i found in my roll? yea DISGUSTING!! i told the waitress about it and she tried to tell me it was part of the salmon...UM last i checked salmon doesn't have long black hair. i will never and i repeat NEVER eat here again. way overpriced and hair= a big fat NO THANK YOU!

    (1)

  • Nick B.

    Totally awesome place to eat sushi!!! We (My girlfriend and I) went there on Friday night last week and had all we could eat plus three house sake and three beers for about $65. Anywhere else it would have been over $100. I love the atmosphere, loud and fun! Great place to go! I would highly recommend this place!

    (5)

  • ella a.

    While the all you can eat option was $28 at dinner, the amount of fish on each order is incredible. If you order nigir, they give you two big slices of fish on each rice mold, plus a whole pile of the cut up fish on top, sashimi style. Sooo good too! Great value for the money. Wish I had a place like this up in SF.

    (4)

  • Andrew D.

    What a wonderful place, I don't normally write reviews unless the place is just incredible, or absolutely horrible, and this place was the former. We walked in around 7 on a Friday night (they don't take reservations), and although the place was packed and there were several groups standing in front of us, we were seated within ten minutes. I naturally assumed that the food would take awhile as it seemed that they were understaffed, but not so. The service was incredible, and our sushi arrived promptly. I have paid twice as much for sushi, and been 1/2 as satisfied as I was here. You wouldn't believe the size of the sushi, the albacore and yellow tail were incredible, as was every roll we ordered, even the California rolls were good, and I never like California rolls! The prices were incredibly reasonable as well, three of us were stuffed with drinks for just over $50. I live in LA, but I would honestly drive down here to have dinner.

    (5)

  • Ryan D.

    "F*CKING B*TCH! GET OUT!" is something you should never see/hear the owner yelling at his waitress in front of everyone in the restaurant. Well, last saturday at about 7pm we saw a waitress get fired, yelled at, cursed at, and berated repeatedly by the owner during dinner! In front of a packed house the owner lost his "S"!! I've been coming here for years, and the service has always been bad but this was a whole new level. First Steve (owner/sushi chef) yelled at the little waitress about something to do with her service. Then, he told her "it ok, you go home while point ing toward the door". Well, apparently that was not direct enough because when she continued to clean and serve the packed house of patrons he eventually yelled "you fired, GET OUT!" one minute later "GET F*CK OUT!!!" and a few minutes later "F*CKING B*TCH! GET OUT!!" while bumping her with his belly (he had about 10 inches and 140 lbs on the diminutive young asian waitress). After about a half dozen of these exchanges over about 20 minutes she hid out in the back until her boyfriend came to get her. The whole place went quiet and it felt verrry awkward. Steve tried to compensate by buying everyone at the bar beers and sake. I seriously feel bad for the waitresses that work here, they never seem to last very long.

    (1)

  • Zachary F.

    Absolute BEST sushi in San Diego! Steve is a KING!!!

    (5)

  • Rebecca H.

    Though it doesn't look like much from the outside, this restaurant serves excellent sushi at very reasonable prices. The food is fresh, the people are friendly, and the prices are decent - what more could you ask for?

    (4)

  • Carrie M.

    We have been to this place twice. Once we sat at a table and the second time at the sushi bar. The sushi bar was definitely more fun but less intimate. The sushi chefs are pretty funny and we got to see everything being made. When we sat at a table we were given edamame for free as well as the mochi ice cream but when we sat at the bar we were given both of those in addition to some oysters and some sort of a delicious little salad. And the mochi came with whip cream and sprinkles on top. Wasn't sure if they thought it was my birthday or what :) Now for the sushi... I agree with most of the people on here- go with the nigiri. They give you twice as much fish and half as much rice (way it should be) they any sushi restaurant I have been to. And if you must have rolls, stick with the simple ones. Think spicy tuna or salmon. They also come with extra fish piled on top. Their spicy tuna is of such a grade and made so well that it brings to mind poke I have had while in Hawaii. Very yummy overall!

    (4)

  • Andrew A.

    loved this place. the rolls are graciously sized, the service and cooks are calm and not overbearing, and i haven't had anything i didn't like. and if you get the CA roll, they throw on an extra scoop of filler on top so that each bite has a little bit more. and more often than not, they'll give out complimentary oyster shells if it's slow. i wouldn't normally order oysters, so it was a pleasant surprise. if you want good and quick sushi, visit sushi and joy

    (5)

  • Laura K.

    Yum yummers yummy. The paper thin smoked tuna they put on top of the rolls :::kiss fingers french-like:::: makes my mouth ridiculously happy. I've tried at least a third of their special rolls and they are all super. You HAVE to sit at the sushi bar. The chef will litter you with tasty morsels and hot saki until you explode. The steamed mussels topped with crab and octopus salad are just straight up delicious. I love you Sushi N Joy.

    (5)

  • rachel c.

    POSITIVES: Quality of sushi, portions, all-you-can-eat offering for the price (sushi and rolls), authentic atmosphere. NEGATIVES: Available seats at busy hours, need more variety in sushi selection, can get cold so bring a sweater if necessary My husband and I go to Sushi N Joy nearly every weekend. We have tried to go to other sushi places, but they are never as good. The sushi at Sushi N Joy is far better: you get far bigger portions and overall there is just nothing better. Do not get fooled by the chef shouting at his son or wife, which did at first put us off -- you just have to learn to ignore it and accept it as a family-run business. We think it's a family-run place (their kids work over breaks from school). The sashimi is excellent, and we always comment the salmon and tuna is really fresh and high-quality. They don't have the best selection of fish (no Spanish mackerel, little selection of white fish such as halibut, and no Tomago). However, if you like really good, high-quality fish, with an authentic atmosphere, I would absolutely recommend Sushi N Joy. Everyone is very friendly and service is fantastic! The price is set at a good level: all-you-can-eat includes over 25 rolls and many sushi choices. Plus, you also get a free Mulchi when you leave!!!

    (5)

  • John M.

    Excellent! Have you ever seen the Seinfeld episode with the "Soup Nazi"? The head sushi chef/owner here reminds me of the nazi... At least to his employees... I think its hilarious! He has all his employees on point. They basically run to do whatever he orders. I call this place Sushi Nazi now. I went here before the dinner rush around 5:30pm. There weren't many people in yet and the service was over the top. We had 3 waiters on top of everything. As far as the sushi goes - its fresh and comes in large portions. The spicy tuna hand rolls were as big as an ice cream cone. No kidding. The dinners are pretty good as well. I think they could do better with their location ( I always forget about it when craving sushi )... They offer an all-u-can-eat option. Heres the deal on that. You CANT go over the all-u-can-eat price! Well, its kinda hard to go over since the portions are huge...

    (5)

  • Patrick H.

    Sushi N Joy is probably one of my favorite sushi places in all of the San Diego area. The fish quality is always excellent, and the portions are always extremely generous. The staff is wonderfully polite, and helpful. I love Sushi N Joy.

    (5)

  • gabe a.

    This place is quickly becoming my favorite Sushi spot. The prices are very affordable and the portions are very generous. When ordering some salmon nigiri, my friend pointed out that my fish had a "mullet", since it folded over itself being so large. Business in the front, delicious in the back. They tend to give you nice bits of extras (mmm fish scraps) too which is a nice surprise. The free edamame and mochi desserts are the perfect ways to begin and end the meal. If you're looking for a more relaxed atmosphere, I'd recommend not going on Friday/Saturday nights because it gets packed. It's a small family-run place so they can get a little overwhelmed during the busy hours but they make up for it delicious food and nice attitudes. Come with friends and you're sure to have a great time.

    (5)

  • James G.

    If your looking for outstanding sushi served fresh at a reasonable price then look no further. The beers are cold and come in large bottles. Recommend the Caterpillar Roll with eel or the California roll. If you like fried sushi then do not come here!

    (4)

  • Staz S.

    The place is awesome!! The sushi is super delicious, always fresh, nice plump fish. Both my husband and I are avid sushi lovers, we've been going to S&J for over 2 years now. If ever, we're in another part of the county and visit a sushi restaurant, we always, Always come away disappointed, they is no place like Sushi & Joy. The Alaska Roll is probably one of my favorite! I always order Large Sashimi - it's the Best! It's great (and unusual in San Diego County) when a restaurant is consistent. Sushi & Joy is consistently oh so YUMMY!!!!

    (5)

  • Chelsea T.

    My boyfriend and I have come here twice and both times were delightful experiences! After our first visit we craved it all week long and had it not been for the drive we probably wouldnt have waited for the weekend to come back. The portions, whether its a cut roll or sashimi are heaping! We were not even disuaded by the idea of a wait when we went back the second time (we waited about 15 min on our first visit.) I cant wait to go back to have more of their yellowtail!

    (4)

  • Inga I.

    I love this place! Sushi is always fresh and so good!!! They ALWAYS give you extra pieces of salmon and tuna. I always get 2 pieces of the salmon and tuna sushi and I end of getting 4 because of the extra pieces they give me. One of the best places I've ever had sushi, definitely one of my top 5 sushi spots I've ever been to!

    (5)

  • Jade Z.

    My favorite sushi place! Location and decor aren't anything great, but the sushi more than makes up for it. Steve is the owner/head sushi chef and is great to sit by, he'll hook you up with little treats. The squid and cucumber salad you get with your wasabi and ginger are amazing. The portions are huge, and the prices low!

    (5)

  • Long T.

    This place is the bee's knees... An all you can eat sushi special allows me to indulge and gorge on otherwise pricey rolls off the menu. I was in town for business and looked for local gem of an eatery. I was not disappointed as I looked down the list of rolls and ordered away like a kid in a candy store. I'm not sure what time exactly this sushi special occurs, but I was glad it was on while I was there. The staff and chefs were super friendly and I know that I went home so full that I probably shouldn't have eaten as much as I did. Either way, this place is a winner.

    (5)

  • Kurt W.

    This is my favorite sushi place ever. Their prices are probably the best prices around for sushi, and yet they've also got the best tasting sushi in the area, maybe anywhere. Try the Philadelphia roll. It's amazing. I don't want to eat sushi anywhere else. Why pay more?

    (5)

  • Ben M.

    Excellent portions. Very high quality ingredients. great selection of creative rolls. This is the fourth sushi joint I have tried in north county and it is by far my favorite. I will not be trying new places for a while.

    (5)

  • Lauren S.

    this little sushi place is a hole in the wall & after trying out sushi places around the world, this place to me is one of the best-- you go here to sit at the sushi bar for the freshest high quality fish, not the decor-- & sometimes not the service..... service can depend on the somewhat quirky mood of the sushi guy, but he is a sushi genius... he cuts the fish correctly & it all melts in your mouth... the rice is not overly large & it's seasoned correctly, nori is crisp the way it should be... large servings compared to some other places... to be honest, we did have one neg experience, but we've gone to sushi n joy very often so i'm w/ them

    (5)

  • felix c.

    Had I been reviewing this place a couple years ago, I would have given it 5 stars. The quality has gotten worse and the food doesn't taste the same as it did before. I usually get the Shrimp Crunchy Roll, Bob's Brother Roll, and Heart Attack whenever I go. I would say that they do tend to overuse eel sauce and mayo on a good majority of their rolls. Portions aren't as big as they used to be, but still bigger than a lot of other places around here. Depending on the night, I'd give the food a 2.5-3.5 star rating. Not too bad, but it used to be a lot better.

    (3)

  • Sasha J.

    It looks like a hole in the wall, but there's a reason they are always busy without any advertising. The sushi isn't fancy its just good/ Some of the best fresh fish I have had and you get an insane amount of food for your money. Among the employees you will hear spanish , japanese, french all being spoken. If you love sushi you will love sushi n joy

    (5)

  • Chris W.

    Amazing the amount of good sushi you get here for the price. The spicy tuna roll (which was about twice the size I was expecting) came with an interesting garnish. Was it mashed sweet potato? Pickled red radish? No, it was a mound of spicy tuna. Maybe things work differently down there, but in Norcal we don't get an extra serving of spicy tuna on top of the nigiri. I typically order chirashi at sushi places, but it wasn't on the menu. Just ask the server though, it's either $14.99 or $15.99. It was also entertaining to observe the sushi chef continually excoriate one of the servers in front of the entire restaurant: "How come I make sushi faster than you serve it?" "Don't just stand there, go around with water ask if customer need anything" etc. Entertaining because I am heartless; my companion felt really bad for the kid. Thank you to Yelp & iPhone technology for helping me find something so wonderful that day. If I lived in that area I would eat here once or twice a week.

    (5)

  • Charlie R.

    This is actually the first strip mall sushi joint I've ever been to! The place is really no frills, decent sushi. The service is great. The sushi was defitnitely freash and you get a lot of it! We definitely ordered too much. I like that they give you some edamame to start with some sort of sald and finish you off with these little ice cream deserts. Nice touch.

    (4)

  • Dean-Ryan S.

    While staying at Carlsbad, we looked up local sushi bars and stumbled upon this one thanks to Yelp. Absolutely delicious sushi and very reasonably priced too. The yellowfish and octopus rolls I ordered actually had some extra bonus bits of fish and octopus on top *8-) They gave us a free bowl of edamame to start with, and the meal was capped off with a complimentary plate of, not really sure what it was, kind of like pink and orange wedges, with ice cream in the middle and the 'rind' being this chewy sugary gummy candy? I'm sure there's a name for it. Anyway, well worth going to for cheap but good sushi. And they have high chairs too.

    (5)

  • Chris C.

    Overall very good. We had a huge lunch there of miso soup, chirashi sushi, agedashi tofu, spicy albacore roll, unagi nigiri and 1/2 a heart attack roll. I really like how some of these huge rolls can come in half servings and you get a free edamame snack. Overall very good. The sushi on the Chirashi was not spectacular but the rice and tobiko were excellent. I'd definitely come back if I'm ever in the area.

    (4)

  • Nick D.

    So, I came to Vista, CA to visit my mom. She knows I am a huge fan of sushi but knows I only go to a couple places back in AZ just because I am usually pretty hard on sushi joints. She called my brother to ask about sushi joints and this one came up. This place is insane the portions are huge the fish is as fresh as it gets. The service is faster than any fast food joint.I would order and before I was done with my first bite here came more sishi. If you are hard of hearing it will be a little hard to communicate with the staff since they all seem to speak broken english. They do an all you can eat sushi deal for 29.95. I do have to say this place is know going to be on my places to stop every time I'm in town.

    (5)

  • Alvin C.

    Cheap. Decent service. For those who like 'special' rolls and not traditional sushi, this place is for you. Definitely not the best in San Diego. I'll come back for the reasonable prices--but be warned, you get what you pay for.

    (3)

  • Clean Plate s.

    Been here a couple times and Sushi N Joy does not disappoint. I'm a fan of big portions and boy don't they give you the biggest piece of sushi you'll ever see. I would admit that the presentation is not necessarily impressive but the fish is very good.

    (4)

  • Mark H.

    This is one of my new favorite places to go for lunch. Priced right and good quality food. I usually get the Bento lunch box or a teriyaki beef bowl with sushi on the side. I am not a sushi expert but enjoy it and this place is as good as any I've had. Edamame is served quite promptly as you sit down. Service is fast and you get a lil' nice ice cream treat at the end.

    (4)

  • Mrs D.

    So, I should comment about the sushi but I'd rather speak about the menu items. The fried rice was good, yakisoba better than most, beef bowl was spot on and chicken curry was a treat as a menu item though not entirely tasty. Still I was impressed to have seen all four on a menu and taste like expected. Prices are unbeatable.

    (3)

  • Dawn T.

    This is my favorite place for sushi! It's tiny and small, but it's usually packed for a good reason. I love the heart attack roll, but the albacore sushi with a dijon/ponzu sauce is delicious. You won't be disappointed if you come here. Any time I go to a different sushi restaurant I am sad that I didn't just go to Sushi N Joy.

    (5)

  • Mo O.

    This little place in the north side of the 78 in Oceanside has good sushi but dont let the surrounding get you down.

    (3)

  • D K.

    The decor is not very pleasant. Small place. Definetly not a date location. Food is ok. A different spin on your traditional sushi. Their cucumber salad is delicious. 2 items for $20, don't know how to feel about that - dragon roll and tempura roll (crunchy shrimp).

    (3)

  • ang w.

    I decided to try this place after seeing all the positive reviews on Yelp. After arriving, the staff seemed friendly as they took my takeout order, and I was feeling good about the place even though the price of the rolls-- dirt cheep at $3.99-- had me concerned. While I waited they gave me water and edamame, a polite gesture for sure. I received my order and holy fish! There was so.much.fish . I was amped! so excited! Drooly mouth, the works. I basically got into an accident on the way home I was too excited. I got my soy sauce, plate, everything in gear. Now, let's go through this piece by piece: Wasabi and ginger were up to standards. The pickled cucumber was disgusting, I had one bite and decided I could go without. Albacore, even at its freshest, has an extremely subtle fishy taste. This was fishy a million times over. It was so fishy I felt that it would only be fitting for me to leave it out for the stray cat near my home. If sushi tastes or smells fishy, it's not fresh! Spicy tuna was again, uneatable. Period. I had two bites and it tasted like fish/dirty water. Spicy albacore was decent but again, I was beginning to get fearful. I used alot of wasabi and soy sauce and choked it down. Salmon and tuna nigiri were layered with oil/grease. A fatty fish will have a greasy residue at times, but this was so oily it was disgusting without alot of rice, which I again dunked in wasabi and soy. Yellowtail nigiri could not be consumed. What a waste of money. I was so disappointed. More importantly, is everyone else that gave a positive review smoking crack? I worry I can't trust Yelp anymore. That being said, I'll stick to my super expensive joint Nozomi for now.

    (1)

  • Ashley M.

    best sushi place in North County San Diego... HANDS DOWN! the husband and I have tried manyyyyyyyyy places, yet we always return back here. Fresh Fish, Large Portions, Good Prices... what more can you ask for???

    (5)

  • Jeffrey G.

    This is a great place to have some really awesome sushi. Average price of a roll is about $8.50. You can't get any better sushi in the area for the same price. Friday and Saturday dinners are pretty busy, but for good reason.

    (5)

  • Kaye J.

    If this is your idea of the best sushi anywhere, it's time to take a drive outside of the north county. I've eaten a lot of sushi and this sushi is far from awesome. It wasn't that it was particularly bad, but it certainly wasn't good - just didn't taste much like anything. I usually want to try lots of different rolls and different types of nigiri, but the first couple of orders were so unappealing and bland, that we decided to make it a short trip for fear that eating more might lead to a potential sickness later. The only reason I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 was because they did something most places don't do - they gave us a generous serving of calamari and mussels when we sat down, on the house, just for us to try. I thought that part was very cool. Alas, the most annoying part of the whole experience though was the sushi chef (who wasn't even our chef but he was so annoying, his voice carried to us) with his unkempt girly do, who would not shut up for a half second with the people he was preparing rolls for, and kept yelling back into the kitchen in Spanish (though he was Asian) - kind of ruins the whole supposed Japanese experience. It's nice to have a friendly sushi chef who will interact with you, but it's even nicer to have a chef who knows when to stop (our chef didn't interact much but I think it was 'cause he was so embarrassed about his fellow comrade) . Whatever - guess it doesn't matter since I wouldn't bother going back. There's sooo much better out there...

    (2)

  • Abe K.

    Great food, reasonable prices and a fun and friendly atmosphere. We enjoyed this place and will return. I love sushi but my wife does not. This was a good medium, which is hard to find. She was able to order the beef teriyaki and enjoyed it greatly and I had a good fill of good sushi food. The service was great and they even helped accomodate us with our children, who can be a handful at times. They even kept brining little bowls of edemame for our baby and she enjoyed these greatly. Definitely recommend that you at least try the place out.

    (4)

  • Megan M.

    Anthony says: darn tootin thats some good fish...as far as North County goes I can only think of one other place that compares...and as far as price goes they cannot be beat (even though i heard that they just recently raised the price a buck or two on some of our favorite rolls)...the only drawback i feel about this place is the amount of time it takes to get your drinks refilled...they are always busy (but you can always find a seat)...my suggestion go there with an appetite and get the all-you-can-eat for $25...unlike other places they do not make you conform to a cut-down menu...anything is yours for the eating...including my two favorites: the lobster roll and the alaskan roll Megan says: It's usually a man and his wife (?) doing the fish, and their kids do the hosting, drinks, and bills. So it's easy to see why it takes a little while, especially when they are busy. Be careful of the lunch break, I think it's close between 2-5 or something. It's also very "intimate", so don't plan on going with a party of more than 4. Like my better half says though, the fish is REALLY good, and the lobster roll is like candy. The sashimi are good (ginormous) sized too!

    (4)

  • Injoon C.

    Just finished a sad day fishing and brought my father-in-law (who came from Singapore) to compensate for our poor fishing. Father-in-law said the sushi was a 9 to 10 out of all the sushi/sashimi he's eaten (and he's the kind of fisherman who will catch something straight out of the ocean, slice it up, dip it up in wasabi/soy sauce and down the hatch). We had a variety plate, and he said it was the freshest tuna ever. I had lobster roll, and it melted in my mouth. Onlookers asked what the mountain of food was, and they ordered it too (can't go wrong with lobster!). Dragon Roll with unagi (eel)... what can i say... w.o.w., incredible. Salmon collar was great. I guess the festive evening was topped off with the Chef giving rounds of saki shots around the bar and thanking everyone for their year of patronage. Bad fishing? The evening dinner more than compensated and left a great memory before my father-in-law would leave back for his country.

    (5)

  • Jenna L.

    I ordered the chicken teriyaki combo and...WOW! The flavor was was pretty good, not the best I have has, but most certainly not the worst. What set this apart was the portion size....massive! My husband got the dragon roll ( i think) once again, it was huge! Good food, huge portions and low prices make this place worth your time.

    (4)

  • Laura C.

    WOW, my Husband and I had been looking for a good AYCE sushi place for a while, we had settled on Tomo sushi in Laguna woods as our first destination and then my Husband stumbled across the reviews for Sushi N Joy. Decision Made. I cannot stress enough how much i liked this place and how pleased i was with the other yelp reviews, all of them were spot on. So what can i tell you that others haven't, not much really. the portions are huge, the fish is of great quality and really does melt in your mouth and i wish that they would use just a little less mayo too. Albacore, Salmon and Tuna Nigiri were absolutely out of this world as were the more traditional rolls. So a huge thumbs up for quality price and service. The ambiance is just as others have mentioned and not what you could call silver service dining, personally i like this, and yes the chef shouts but again i really like that aspect. My husband and i came away, more than full, but as soon as we got in the car we started planning our return visit and what we would order the next time round! Overall 5 very well deserved stars.

    (5)

  • Heather P.

    I would give 4 1/2 stars if possible b/c this place isn't perfect, that being said it's in my top 3 for San Diego sushi. They've remodeled a bit, but it used to be kinda decrepit. It was a hole in the wall that needed some TLC, and the last time I went it seemed to get some, so enough of that topic. The portions are HUGE, and very affordable for sushi around here. I get one roll and almost am annoyed b/c it fills me up and I want to try others! I have come to a point where I order 3 things and box up 1/2 of it to settle for day old sushi leftovers. They have more specials than you can dream of, I've never even bothered ordering off their board b/c the 50 or so choices are overwhelming. I stick with what I've had and loved there. I find it hard to get a spicy albacore roll anywhere else, and theirs is awesome. The BSCR? is just baked scallops over a CA roll, but it's yummy when you're craving something really rich. The baked mussels are covered in krab and mayo and eel sauce-yum! Their dragon and caterpillar rolls are good, I dont know I've been going their for maybe 5 years and tried A LOT and cant think of anything I was disappointed in. I have of course had all the nigiri but I'm prego so its been a while, dont remember how it was :(

    (5)

  • josh s.

    one of the best sushi places around (.)

    (5)

  • M D.

    I like to call this place "sloppy sushi." They really go overboard with the portions and let's just say that it's not the most beautiful food to eat. To me, sushi rolls are a kind of art form with a perfect balance of rice, nori, fish and veggies. However, with this place it's "fit in as many slabs of fish as possible, who cares much about veggies anyway, and roll it in as much rice as will stay on." Sometimes the rice falls off when you pick up the roll, which is great when you're hungry but it's not exactly pretty to eat.

    (4)

  • Jared G.

    We, until we moved out of the area, used to eat here at least once a week. One time, given a lot of folks coming into town, we ate there five times in one week. We even served Sushi n Joy as one of the courses at our wedding. Why? The rolls are amazing and imaginative. When mango is in season, ask for the Southern CA roll. The lemon roll, with thinly sliced lemon on yellowtail and salmon, is to die for. I also like the tiger with spicy tuna on a tempura'd shrimp. Finally, the lobster roll, covered in sauce and langostinos, kills me every time. So, I'm making it clear that Sushi N Joy is the place to go for rolls. Ngiri is good too, but may not satisfy purists, despite the fact that Steve and Jamie do an excellent job of getting fresh, tasty fish. Get rolls. I'll finish by saying something that tells you this is a good place is how many regulars you get used to seeing. We miss this place so much, we may never find a better hole in the wall sushi joint.

    (5)

  • Christy B.

    I'm extremely confused right now. After my work buddies and I decided sushi would be delicious, I hopped on Yelp to find a good place. I don't understand how Sushi N Joy has so many good reviews! I'm by no means a sushi snob or a yuppie, and I was excited when I saw the prices were very reasonable. Unfortunately, neither of the two servers hovering around our table spoke any english, only spanish. When they brought our food out, they couldn't even tell us what it was. My friend ordered a spicy tuna roll but it had avocado... turns out it was my other friend's tokyo roll. The rolls weren't cut all the way through and it was really sloppy. We finished eating everything before one roll ever came out so we cancelled it. My salmon nigiri was good but falling apart all over. Basically, good enough but sloppy food and really bad service. I felt bad for the two waitresses- they couldn't communicate with us at all. I will not go here again.

    (2)

  • Matt G.

    Deserves more stars than there are in the heavens! Steve is definitely one of a kind. A top notch sushi chef with a spirit that warms you up as soon as you walk in the door. Quick to spoil his guests with free sushi, and the occasional complementary appetizer, Steve certainly never hesitates to put his customers first. Aside from Steve's persona, the food is off the wall good! It's been said many times over that when it comes to culinary diversity-- North County, and in particular Carlsbad is Vanilla in every sense of the word! Which makes places like Sushi N Joy real treasures. Outside the restaurant, as you walk in, Steve has a sign that says "no beef or chicken- My sushi is better than chicken!" And no statement could be more accurate. even if you think sushi isn't your thing-- I would bet my reputation as a writer that you could find Something here that you would fall in love with! If you haven't been yet, do yourself a favor and check it out!

    (5)

  • Megan J.

    I LOVE this sushi spot. Steve is fantastic, and loves to ply his customers with free sake. You're also provided with a free mussel appetizer. My absolute favorite thing here is the Albacore Sashimi, it comes with a delicious sauce, and a generous portion. Puts every other restaurants albacore to shame. The rolls are delicious as well, but the albacore is what really sells this place for me!

    (5)

  • Nicolas D.

    We have had the most special experience. All the staff was super friendly, the food was excellent and in no shortage. Everything was fresh and the chef stands behind his statement printed on the window:"My sushi is better than chicken". It turns out its true! My favorite one was the lemon roll but there's something for everyone.

    (5)

  • Doris W.

    I've eaten here a few times, dining in and ordering take out. Last night I called in for take out. Teri Cafe down the street was packed and I didn't want to wait in line, so I called up Sushi N Joy and placed an order with them instead. I ordered: - spicy scallop roll - spicy tuna roll - total: $13.93 The rolls were big for what I ordered, with extra scallops sprinkled on top. Extra brownie point for presentation in the to go container! Kind of weird this place has a sign stating they don't have chicken or beef, but you can order salmon teriyaki! They're rolls are tasty!

    (4)

  • Steve Z.

    Wow, huge sushi portions, excellent quality fish!!! And lots of free fish with each order. If I were to quibble, I'd say there's not enough rice with each nigiri. But wow, largest ratio of fish to rice I've ever had. Best sushi quality I've had in the north county. It's a small place in a strip mall (don't let that fool you) near a trader joes where you can go after for samples ;)

    (5)

  • Chuck E.

    NEVER disappointed with this place. Not much ambiance, but who cares. Steve and Jamie never cease to amaze us with the quality and their resistance to portion control. Always complimentary Cucumber salad, Octopus salad, Stuffed Mussels and most times, sake. Our faves are the Albacore,Yellowtail, Salmon and Spicy Scallop Hand Rolls. Haven't eaten a thing there that I wouldn't devour twice. Thanks for a great Sushi place we can call our "go to "place... chargershasbeen and ElleMae

    (5)

  • Jim K.

    what can i say for a strip mall joint this place has it going on. I was a little hesitant to go in but the reviews and a personal referral from another yelp member pushed me forward. I sat at the sushi bar and Steve is the resident sushi chef. I was given a plate with ginger, wasabi, fresh calamari salad, and cucumber salad. and baked mussels stuffed with crab. the chef shared saki shots with me and after my meal I was given a cold sake in a saki box. I ordered tuna sashimi and salmon sashimi the plates were massive! I ordered spicy scallops, the standard 2 scallop rolls were over loaded with baby scallops flowing onto the plate delightful! I also had a spicy tuna roll with sriracha sauce. I finished this meal with my personal favorite, Teka maki not only did the tuna stick out of the end pieces, way out, but they used a couple more pieces of tuna as a garnish!!! bonus fish!! I spoke with the guy next to me and he said he has came here for 5 years. It looks like this is the locals go to place for sushi Loved it! 4 stars for no decor -1 but don't take away from the food as it is top notch. I believe they feel they make the food rock the rest is superficial.

    (4)

  • Jennifer E.

    They get 4 stars exclusively for the food and service. The restaurant facilities are not special at all. I wish they would invest in an upgrade, deep cleaning, and remodel. But let's not get stuck on that... Steven is the man. This place is obviously "the joint" for regulars. There are photos of regulars posted on a wall. There are ceiling decor with customers hand written dedications to the staff and chefs. Customers call Steven (the sushi chef and owner I think) by name and ask him to serve them whatever he wants. These are trade marks of a local's, hole in the wall, "gem". A friend of mine brought me. She bragged enough about it. Btw she's my boojie friend and the "remoteness" of this restaurant surprised me to be one o her picks. She knows Steven by name as well, and they teased me together for being a newbie. It was in good fun. We came at 1pm and it was pretty packed. Let me start with their starters. They provided a plate w ginger, wasabi, fresh calamari salad, and cucumber salad. AND two baked mussels. Free. That sets them above their competitors right there. Never had that before. Tasty too! Then, their menu. Pretty nice. Strait forward sushi... With amazing flavor. Top of the line. I ordered the lobster roll (California roll topped with lobster) omg, so good. No soy sauce needed. They had several other rolls available that looked very good to order. I will come back again, for sure. And then as we were paying, Steven gave us a dessert roll for free. Not sure what it was, but it was good. I love that. Nice job, guys. Thanks for the love and good eats.

    (4)

  • Sophia L.

    Went in on a whim and can't wait to go back! Steve was awesome, the sushi was awesome. We sat at the bar (excellent decision) and ordered the Philadelphia and Hawaiian rolls. Both were fantastic. After living in Japan, this is the best sushi we have had stateside. If your still thinking- just go.

    (5)

  • Ocean A.

    This place is amazing! the sushi, service and Steve treat you like VIP's... We stop by every time heading to SD...A note for wine drinkers, Steve allows you to bring your favorite wine bottle.. See you tonight

    (5)

  • Sylvia B.

    Combine an Asian and too much Sake and Sushi N Joy emerges as the best place in town. This is my go! I wish I was there right now. I'm there at least once a week. I am told I'm almost the oldest customer....I've been frequentlng this place since 2000. I even have drama on "Steve's Balls" (the paper light bulbs that hang above the sushi bar). Steve is very generous and also makes you feel at home with is moonshine and if you're lucky a baby maker drink. All on the house! It's a party just watching Steve. Good luck! ***Sorry, my favs Lobster roll and lemon roll.

    (5)

  • Art C.

    This is the best cuts of Fish I've ever had at any Sushi restaurant. Salmon and Albacore tuna Nigiri is the way to go. Traditional rolls are good as well. Steve the owner is very funny and makes it an enjoyable dining experience. Make sure you get a seat at the bar top. Cleanliness isn't all that great but the food makes up for it. I come here at least once a week.

    (5)

  • Janelle W.

    They gave away lots so freebee's but fish was warm. Not my favorite! Inexpensive meal but you pay for what you get!

    (2)

  • Cyan T.

    Its Sunday and I am tired after a long day of work. I'm hungry and don't feel like cooking. My mood is good. All of a sudden, an epiphany, I remember that my friends have recommended I go to Sushi N Joy by the Trader Joe's. in Oceanside Off I go, cash in hand, to experience amazing sushi. AMBIENCE: Located in a strip mall, its a little hole in the wall but looks intimate. WAIT: While I'm standing at the counter placing my order (yes I'm tired, I'm taking it to go), a couple come in with their children. I'm told that my order will take about 25 minutes to prepare, I'm not happy with the wait but it is what it is. I say I'm going to go sit in my car. After about 20 minutes, I come back in and I'm told its still not ready. I go back to my car and wait a little bit longer. When I come back I'm told my order is still not ready, but when I look over at the table that was seated when I was placing my order I see they are well into finishing their meal. What the? I asked the server how is it that I am still waiting on my food and the couple and their kids are almost done. His response was that people seated are given a higher priority. As I explained to the server, I didn't call in my order, I walked in and am waiting seated outside the restaurant in my car. I didn't get a discount on my Sushi. I should have the same priority as every other paying customer. This lack of priority was really unacceptable. They give me the bill before my food is ready which I pay but I did not tip. Maybe, had I tipped the quality of the food would have been better. FOOD: 2 rolls, 2 hand rolls. My husband said the hand rolls were "okay" - that is a quote. nothing spectacular. 2 rolls. I love tuna but these rolls were just meh. One was okay the other not so much. The tuna was mushy inside the roll and the top layer of tuna seemed old or not high quality. I ended up throwing it in the trash. I was hoping for better. I had a few friends mention how amazing Sushi N Joy was so my expectations were high that I would enjoy the meal... SERVER: The serving staff seemed very polite and helpful. Realizing they have little control over food quality or food prioritization. I would give them more stars based on our brief interaction. RECAP: Sushi isn't cheap take-out. Since my friends love this place I'm going to assume it was an off night and give it 3 stars. I really do hope they will reaccess the way they serve/prioritize their takeout customers orders.

    (3)

  • Jessica W.

    Delicious sushi, great and quick service. It's a small place and it could be a little nicer/cleaner inside, but the food is generously portioned for the buck.

    (4)

  • Derrick M.

    This place will help you love sushi. My wife has never been a sushi fan but when she tried their shrimp tempura roll she converted and can't wait to try sushi again.

    (5)

  • Dan K.

    We went to this place on a whim based on Yelp, what a great platform. This is a great neighborhood sushi restaurant. Its pretty traditional and even has signs on the door stating No Chicken or Beef. Its a sushi only place. Watching the chef's work their knives, they do have good looking fish and they are very generous with their servings. We each even got a complimentary baked green lip mussel topped with crab. However, I think they could improve on the cleanliness of the place. It's certainly clean enough, but you could see through to the trash in the kitchen, which isn't appetizing. The chair I had was a little wobbly (but I am over 200lbs). The ceiling tiles need replacing and so did the miso soup bowls. I certainly wouldn't say no to this place, because the food is good and very reasonably priced, but I am not going to seek it out as a first preference

    (3)

  • Alida R.

    What a blast this place was! There's definitely a friendly, lots of locals who come often and get to know the chef vibe. As other reviews say, Steve the sushi chef is indeed a character -- pouring shots of sake for customers, giving a free bottle to another regular customer, imbibing plenty of sake himself. And I didn't observe any of the bad behavior other Yelpers have mentioned (e.g., Steve shouting at the staff or being rude to his wife.) We sat at the sushi bar, since there weren't any tables. I don't recommend sitting at the bar unless you're a party of two, as it's hard to converse. But you get your food fast! The sushi rolls were fresh and really delicious, and portions very generous. I was especially impressed by the thickness of the slices of fish on top of some of the rolls. We had 4 rolls and an order of edamame for 4 hungry people, and it filled us up nicely. The specialty rolls seem pricey (~$12), but they're really good and very filling. And they indeed keep the freebies coming! Each pair of people got a tray with plenty of ginger and wasabi, as well as sweet pickled cucumbers and some kind of nice salad with what I think was imitation crabmeat. Then everyone gets a muscle topped with crabmeat and cheese, and a wooden box of sake! I think the freebies go to everyone, at the tables and the bars. The muscle was a bit chewy but tasted good. The sake was . . . well, cheap sake, but free booze! Who's complaining? They're very customer oriented. For example, we ordered a small bottle of hot sake. We were accidentally served a medium; Steve's wife was telling the waitress she made a mistake. But Steve overheard and told her to just charge us for the small anyway. I'll be back next time I visit Oceanside. Great sushi and fun vibes! If you go on the weekend, I recommend visiting earlier in the evening, as it seems like it gets busy later at night.

    (5)

  • Kanoe P.

    This review is based on phone in orders Don't bother calling in a TO GO order on a Friday night bc they don't pick up the damn phone. When you get there and try to place a TO GO order, it's a 30-40 min wait, which is understandable, but I would've preferred waiting at home instead of the parking lot. I love this place, but they need more help.

    (1)

  • Humberto G.

    This place is legit. It is an unassuming little sushi bar, no frills but they make it up with great tasting food and friendly service. I have been here a few times after my friend introduced me, and I was glad tehy did. The food is great, and the service is top notch. Little things like complementary oysters and saki shots really makes you feel valued as a customer. But the food keeps me coming back. **Albacore: Gotta have it, as it not only does it taste great, but they give you ginormous pieces. It comes with ponzu and onions on top. It's just BOMB. **Salmon: Good, decent size pieces of sushi. **Mackerel: Yes, I know. Doesn't sound good. But if you are an adventurous sushi eater, it is flavorful piece of salty fish that is not bad. Kind of has that been in the ocean taste to it. And the rolls... **A-A Tuna Roll: Great roll with tuna. **Heart Attack: A fried roll with cream cheese, jalapenos and some fish concoction. Good, but I would rather just have fresh fish over this roll. **Salmon Skin Hand Roll: This was just ridiculous. It was large, but the fact that they give you some large salmon skin pieces that still have salmon meat on them that don't fit in the roll just really pushes it over the top. They are huge, you've been warned! I think the best part is the albacore, but everything I have had has been good to great. Another good sushi bar that has fresh, tasty food, and service to match. I think I will be coming back for more...and more.

    (5)

  • Marilyn O.

    This place is my go to for take out. Really great sushi, not very expensive, and they give you extra pieces of fish in addition to the cut rolls. I've eaten in once and enjoyed extra sake fills on the house!

    (5)

  • Kelly H.

    Sushi is the best in Oceanside!

    (5)

  • J F.

    Absolutely DO NOT EAT HERE! The Korean owner who goes by the name STEVE is not only rude but also abusive; you will hear him degrade and verbally abuse his wife while making sushi. I came here before they had opened to see many plates left on the tables from the prior night. The health department unfortunately was on his side and stated as long as they clean up before the doors open that he is within code. His sushi is probably the best around though, haven't had better anywhere in town... But know that this business is not clean, the carpet stinks, and STEVE is not mentally stable. My last review I posted, he had printed my photo and posted it throughout his establishment saying to contact him with information that will lead to me. What a nut....

    (1)

  • Daniella V.

    First, this place needs a major deep clean and upgrade. If the dining area was dirty I could only imagine what the kitchen is like. They had the back door open and someone was taking a smoke break so the smoke was coming right inside. You cannot understand the servers and they dont understand you. I witnessed the server reaching in this bin with her bare hands to grab ginger to serve out and immediately go and clean up dishes and handle menus without washing her hands. They brought two wooden boxes filled with what looked like water...We didnt touch it, I cant believe they expect you to put your lips on this germ soaked wood box that other people have used and have written their names all over them with pens. NOT SANITARY AT ALL! GET A CLUE! How hard is it to serve it in a regular cup??? There were fruit flies flying around our faces the entire time we ate. My fiance told me not to use the bathroom, he said it was filthy and people were spitting on the wall where they have a business card wall in there...I ended up going to JackNBox to use their restroom after dinner. The prices were expensive considering the the rolls weren't that great, they fell apart and they use a lot of stringy seaweed inside their rolls. For the money we spent we couldn't gone to LOVE Boat. You'll get the quality, quantity and their clean!!! I was so grossed out the rest of the night...

    (1)

  • Anita A.

    I've heard great things about Sushi Joy and before a jaunt to Trader Joes my son and I went there for the 1st time. We were greeted right away by the server, and then had some amazing baked muscles bestowed upon us on the house. Wow! Those were amazing in and of themselves. Then came the salmon sushi and the eel. My eight-year-old son devoured his eel sushi like there was no tomorrow and I was amazed at the portions of the salmon sushi, so much so I almost could not eat the yellowtail sushi. The portions are generous, the fish is extremely fresh. We will definitely be back!

    (5)

  • Megan L.

    Hands down the BEST sushi you will ever put in your mouth! Once you eat here, It is very difficult to eat sushi anywhere else. Steve and his family are so great to the customers and each time we go it is a wonderful experience.

    (5)

  • Erika R.

    Still so confused about how I have no heard about this place from everyone that lives with a 10 mile radius. This place is AWESOME. While I still wonder how they stay in business giving out all the free sake and appetizers, I completely appreciate and condone it. The sushi is some of freshest I have had, I'm talking melt in your mouth stuff. The hand rolls are out of this world, they are basically seaweed cones stuffed with SASHIMI! This place had become a weekly ritual and we take our friends here not only for the unique experience but the delicious food. Big recommend.

    (5)

  • Natalie F.

    I am still having visions of sushi dancing around my head. Only to be left in bitter disappointment that, alas, I have eaten it all and I am stuck here with my yogurt. SIGH Steve is awesome. He has a big personality...and I worry for how much he drinks. He is super friendly, super hilarious, and KNOWS how to host people. It was like the whole restaurant are his family or honored guests! From the "moonshine" to the sake to the mussels to the ice cream to the HUGE PLATES of AMAZING sashimi and sushi....I thought I was in fish heaven. Goodness gracious. I have seen the other reviews and kind of understand their point of view, where the angry people who 1 and 2 starred said it's not super clean or it wasn't fast enough service. I can kind of understand how they got that. BUT I 100% disagree. This place is super clean! Sorry it's not as pristine as the other places you go to, but I loved it. If you want Sushi Ota atmosphere, go to Sushi Ota. Not a fair comparison? Fineee then go somewhere where your tux won't get sake on it. Now let's move on. Service is not slow! He is busy making sushi and sashimi for each person so we can eat it as soon as it's made. If you want him to make you 3 rolls and a plate of sashimi and serve it all at once, I don't see that happening because he knows it's better to eat it as soon as it's made. All in all, get over it. /endrant. Now to be happy once again: The food is so darn good. I ate my body weight in sashimi with such joy. The mussels were amazing, and I usually don't like mussels. The sashimi was super fresh, super tender, and totally melt in your mouth amazing. I was a sucker for the salmon, but the yellowtail, ono, and tuna were freaking delicious too. All excellent! The albacore was topped with some marinade stuff, which gave it a really nice deep but fresh flavor. I could have eaten this alll day. The red onion was a NICE touch, which I never would have guessed! Steve is a genius! I will just list what we ate: -Mussels -salmon/yellowtail/ono sashimi - yellowtail sushi -salmon sushi (the pieces of fish were like 8 inches long!) -caterpillar roll -900 shots of sake, of which I had almost half -the albacore marinated stuff -the half a Trader Joe's mochi ice cream I was sooo happy. Steve mad me and everyone else laughing and enjoying the overall experience. I would be happy to come back! All in all, it was only $35 a person before tip. WHATTTT

    (5)

  • Sheri S.

    This place looks like a total dive but is the most awesome food - And the largest sushi portions you will ever see! If you sit at the sushi bar and take the owner Steve (he's the man making your sushi) take him a bottle of liquor - he will hook you up!!! Free sake and a very memorable evening. Enjoy! ;o)

    (5)

  • Tatiana A.

    My favorite sushi place ever! Huge portions. Delicious sushi. Really best taste ever! And you're getting some free appetizer while waiting for your order. Yam!

    (5)

  • Sara S.

    Bar service is outstanding! Steve makes dinner an experience.. Not to mention the fresh fish served.. You're guaranteed not to leave hungry! Mussel appetizers and yellowtail sushi is my favorite.. Their rolls are to die for also. This isn't your typical generic sushi joint..give it a try today!

    (5)

  • Ian A.

    Awesome sushi! I ordered the Christmas roll and was not disappointed. The waiters are always standing by to assist you in anyway.

    (5)

  • Janell S.

    ONLY SUSHI (went expecting to get a teriyaki bow, silly mel) It was a delicious dinner date for Valentines. Its a tiny hole in the wall place and we went based on yelp reviews. FIRST IMPRESSION Tiny and dimly lit Our waitress spoke almost no English and seemed to only speak Spanish. However she did her best The staff was friendly. REASON WE WILL GO BACK We ordered more than we could chew because the portion sizes are large for a sushi place. I got the Salmon plate with rice and house salad. Boyfriend got 3 different sushi rolls, all were amazing. The Japanese beer Asahi was amazing! And Im not a huge beer fan but my boyfriend, who is, loved it as well. LOVED the handmade traditional wooden square bowls that we got to drink our sake out of (sadly some previous customers had etched into it and graffitited it, disrespectful) The food was out fast and the prices are great :)

    (4)

  • Randin L.

    Cool little place. Signs on the door saying "no beef or chicken" haha - they don't mess around. Great service, great food, great hole in the wall atmosphere.

    (5)

  • Dylan J.

    Heard this place was good from a friend so I decided to give it a try based on the yelp reviews. "4 stars"......are you high? For starters the they should cut out the "freebies" as they were inedible. One was some kind of "Muscles Rockefeller" followed by some bottom shelf cold sake served in dirty wood box....no joke. The rolls were average at best and most were overpriced fancied up California rolls. The only thing that inspired me to give a second star was the yellow tail sashimi which was fine. Over all no real innovation, just below average sushi. Go to wrench and rodent for a real treat.

    (2)

  • Nara W.

    I got takeout, salmon and tuna rolls. They were amazing. I travel a lot, and this place has some of the best sushi I have ever sampled. The takeout box was overflowing with extra pieces of fish, along with very tasty pickled cucumber (photo submitted). Even the chopsticks were good quality. Just fantastic. I wish all sushi were this good.

    (5)

  • Hunter B.

    BEST sushi around. They make a simple California roll taste like heaven! The main chef is super friendly , generous and cool ! Love the service and the food , when I want good quality sushi I always come here. The only horrible thing about this place is the music they choose to play, just horrible , one direction , Justin Bieber and Brittney spears music is NOT what I wanna listen to while enjoying a great meal, I don't know about you guys but it sure almost ruins my night out to be forced to listen to one direction at age 21 while eating a good meal. Please chose I more diverse music station to play sushi n joy ... Maybe some 95.7 so at least you've got new music along with older music for your older customers.

    (5)

  • Liza L.

    Just tried this place for the first time the other night, and we are hooked! It is by far one of the best sushi places in SD. Although the place may seem small, it is humble and you feel welcomed. We thought the price was a little high, but after receiving a complimentary baked crab appetizer and a cold app plate, we are happy to come here again and again. Each one of our rolls was fabulous and perfectly accented. I would try anything here and know it will be delicious. Our experience became that much greater when the sushi chef Steve, handed us complimentary sake shots just for the heck of it! Everything is worth the visit here. Even simple rolls like a Philadelphia roll will blow your mind.

    (5)

  • Ana R.

    We go often and this place is awesome! We love to eat the shrimp tempura roll! The staff is very friendly! We recently took some out of town family here and they enjoyed it very much!

    (5)

  • Tammy N.

    Love this place! The food is relatively cheap, and delicious. I ordered a large assorted sashimi plate for around $20. They give you a free scallop appetizer, and cold sake on the house. The chef is very friendly and loves to drink with you, so make sure to sit at the bar for the best experience!

    (4)

  • Tam L.

    My entire family has been coming here for over 8 years... Always leaves us satisfied. Steve is the man and is always giving his customers free items. Dont come here if you want fancy.. Or spacious. Or waitresses that speak perfect English and make small talk... Come here if you want delicious quality sushi every single time, extremely generous portion sizes, and a bad ass chef that makes the best sushi in town. Yup, it's a hole in the wall.. And it's a gem! NO CHICKEN OR BEEF.

    (5)

  • C C.

    Giant portions and very high quality. The salmon nigiri might be the best we've ever had. We'll be back for sure!

    (5)

  • Holly P.

    I absolutely love this place! My boyfriend and I are regulars. We often take family here as restaurant of choice. Their sushi and baked mussels are the best I've had. The staff is great and Steve is amazing. Even when it's packes on a Friday, the service is good. I would recommend this place to any sushi lover!

    (5)

  • Joan M.

    This place is my favorite sushi place! The fish is so fresh and so delicious! Steve is the best! He always gives the regulars more sushi and free drinks on a good night (which seems to be every night). I love coming here! I moved down to San Diego and my husband and I still drive up to Oceanside just to have Sushi at this place.

    (5)

  • Matthew G.

    With all of the sushi places that pop up all the time this place is a staple... And an amazing one at that! When you first walk in you are greeted by a sign that says "my sushi is better than chicken".... This sign is totally correct! The amazing atmosphere and friending staff just add to the magic of this amazing sushi joint! Steve is a wildly talented sushi chef and an incredibly generous man! Please visit this amazon place!!!!

    (5)

  • Branden M.

    This sushi restaurant is unlike any we've ever been too. Best sushi (quality, ratio per rice, taste) and prices that you will never find in San Diego county or Orange County. The sushi chef, Steve is exemplary and above the rest!!! Best sushi, environment and pricing! You truly feel at home and treated well when you're here. For those who want the real deal, authentic... This is the spot. Anyone who complains doesn't know authentic or how to order right. Thank you Steve for the amazing food and experience you provide! We will come back as long as you're here!!

    (5)

  • Jerry R.

    Delicious! Sit at the bar and Steve will give you lots of free samples and tons of free saki and Whiskey. Best sushi in Oceanside! Definitely coming back!

    (5)

  • Serge E.

    Nice friendly neighborhood sushi bar!! Decent tasting for a reasonable price... Quick service, which is gd news for someone hungry and craving sushi!!

    (4)

  • E E.

    HUGE portions! ! Very tasty. Lots of complimentary dishes and free refills on saki. Moochi is amazing. Oh so good.

    (5)

  • Scott T.

    the wife and daughter were at another girl scout camping adventure so the seven-year old boy and i were CLASS B BACHELORS on a boy's night out again. WYATT decided we felt like sushi and wanted to try some place new. since SUSHI N JOY's reviews are pretty solid and we were in the neighborhood, figured we'd give them a try. a CALAMARI POKE SALAD arrived with our menus and was pretty good. dinner was off to a nice start and followed by a baked mussel which was also PDG. TUNA SASHIMI's probably the WYATT's favorite and STEVE graciously cut half the pieces in half -- perfect for a small boy's small mouth and we powered thru it with reckless abandon. the live AMI EBI the bodies were nice and sweet but the shells so thick that little pieces of shrimp shrapnel exploded when i bit into them in a way that was unpleasant. WYATT was in charge or ordering rolls and he decided on a RAINBOW ROLL (which i've always thought of as designed by a committee for a diner that couldn't make up their mind) and a CHRISTMAS ROLL. both were fine. pretty decent "AMERICAN" sushi. i know they meant well but i'm very uncomfortable with a wait staff that hovers behind me poised to pounce on my soon-to-be empty plate as soon as i grab that last bite. that sort of behavior takes away from the dining experience.

    (3)

  • Chris W.

    If I said too much about this place, I'd be losing a table on the days I will end up frequenting this place. Quality A+, Friendliness A+, Cultural A+..... Never had a better experience... For the real sushi lovers... Amaebi - Perfect Uni - Perfect Ikura - Perfect Red Snapper - Perfect (huge portion) What else could you ask for!

    (5)

  • Rebecca T.

    The place is run down and dirty. Sticky tables, kinda smells like old rags... food was good so better order to go!!! So I highly recommend the Salmon crouching roll! It's shrimp tempura roll topped with fresh salmon! Hm... delectable~ Oh! So don't let the stench and the sticky tables fool you. Their assorted sashimi plate is amazing! Fresh, good portion, decent price... Must try! Ah, they also give you complimentary stuffed creamy mussels to start off your meal. Nice! Miso soup was cheap and tasty! Order it with your meal! The service was okay. They didn't seem to speak fluent English.. but it's not like they were rude. So yeah, just okay. Yeah I think my only complaint is the cleanliness of the place. Just order to go and you're good. :P Definitely not a place for dates! DO NOT TAKE YOUR GIRL HERE! It's not smooth guys..... not at all.....

    (4)

  • Christine S.

    love the SALMON SKIN ROLL.... love, love, love it!!!!. My husband and I always get free sake from Steve.... I know that he gets drunk while making sushi sometimes, but at lease he shares!!! =)

    (5)

  • Sarah C.

    Decent to good sushi, good value, good portions, quick service. I have had better but I def would come back. Note: inside dining area is small and really needs an overhaul with new tables, chairs, and decorating.

    (4)

  • Bill H.

    Love this place. I always get way more than I paid for, and the rapport is always great. Go in expecting fun. Steven will make your night.

    (5)

  • Avilene C.

    Me and my fiance love this play. We yelped it and came across this place and now we love. My ultimate favorite is the albacore and Alaskan rolls. I learned how to eat sushi and haven't another sushi like this. We at least come once a week. Steve is great with samples and different kind of shots when u sit at the bar. We love it here

    (5)

  • Peter M.

    While eating our food, a couple came in sat down, soaked up the atmosphere and left. Yeah, I wouldn't take a date here either. The tables and chairs are all beat up. And the decor needs improvement. The yellow tail roll I ordered had lots of red onions in it and an overwhelming flavor of sesame oil. I didn't like it and I feel if you just order a plain roll it should be just the fish and something neutral (like micro greens) if you add anything at all. The heart attack roll was very heavy but ok. The mixed vegetable tempura was ok. The waiter kept comping us things, "on the house" throughout the meal. First, two oysters, then sake, then mochi. But only one sake for a party of two. It was weird never had that done before without something being wrong with the meal.

    (2)

  • Kimzo A.

    I stopped by this place to try their sushi rolls... first it wasn't a nice place.. tables were dirty...not friendly to costumers. Plus it was toooooo expensive! I paid almost $40 for two crunchy shrimp rolls... smh! Won't go back.

    (1)

  • MJ M.

    This place is kind of surreal. The tables are off balance, old, and a little dirty. The carpet looks like its seen better days and there is a handwritten sign that says "no chicken" and "water on request only." But at the end of the day, If I had to take your mother to dinner, this is where I would take her. If your mother had the audacity to complain about the tables or the lack of chicken, I would have to ask her to wait in the car while I enjoyed the rest of our date and finished my meal.

    (5)

  • Deborah D.

    Incredible sushi!! The pieces of fish were HUGE, sitting on a tiny piece of rice. The head chef sent free mussels and free sake to our table! Absolutely coming back!!

    (5)

  • Kathleen D.

    I went for the first time last night with 3 friends that have been many times before. I know WHY they keep going back. The chef sends out a complimentary starter which was the beginning of a great dinner! The Bob's brother roll was my favorite. Lots of spicy tuna with a delightful crunch! The best part is most if the rolls are served with an extra dallop of filling on top! The plates come out in a timely fashion one after another which shows me the chef is watching the tables and is engaged in the dining experience. I will be back!

    (4)

  • J P.

    Lots to really like about this sushi bar! Yes, the Portions are very generous (really, they're huge compared to most other places). This made already Good Prices seem even better. The Fish was delicious, fresh, melt in your mouth tastiness, and that's the most important thing, right? I wouldn't bring a first date here (maybe for the 5th date?) It's a bit of a hole in the wall- small, lacks atmosphere. Nothing wrong with the service, but nothing special about it either. Friendly people. Oh, and make sure you specify "Hand Roll" if that's what you want- the menu doesn't exactly make it clear on this section if you're ordering a traditional roll or a hand roll- we got a HUGE spicy tuna roll thinking we were ordering the hand roll style.

    (4)

  • Dana H.

    Truly not sure where all of the good reviews are coming from. At best, this restaurant is just "okay." The restaurant itself is dingy and outdated, service was lackluster. The rolls? California rolls dressed up to look like speciality rolls. Expensive for what it is- we won't be back.

    (2)

  • Jiin B.

    Totally dont understand how this place has such good reviews. My husband i drove 20 mins to try this place only because of the reviews. We almost walked out since it did not look clean and the server wouldnt get us water but decided to give it a shot just in case the food is decent. We should have walked out ...over priced for the quality of food or the service they give you. Expensive lesson. Do not eat here.

    (1)

  • Ruth M.

    Good sushi!! Friendly owners! Kind with alcoholic beverages- good Saki served in pine boxes (house saki)! Fish is fresh.

    (5)

  • Cindy S.

    Been coming here for years, no other place in north county with this type of fish quality and bang for your buck! The sushi chief/owner Steve takes care of his customers, doesn't skimp you on fish, has some of the freshest sashimi i've ever tasted. Dont be fooled by the location, the quality is superb! You won't be disappointed. If your drinking Steve will always match you on a cup of saki on the house, you don't even have to ask, it's headed your way!

    (5)

  • Allison S.

    I have to give this place a three. I recently moved to Oceanside and was looking for a great sushi place to go to other than Love Boat. It's a whole in the wall, like I was told, but really great food. The salmon skin roll is AMAZING! The only thing bad that I experienced was when we were leaving I said bye to both our waitress and hostess on the way out and neither acknowledged me. I was so surprised, but aside from the customer service I really enjoyed the food so we might go back sometime.

    (3)

  • Darla D.

    On the way down to sd we were starving. After the quick stop at bevmo we were looking for somewhere to eat but didn't want fast food. We seen this lil place in the shopping center. Not very many people inside maybe two or three tables occupied. At this point we just needed food so we went in. They did have an a rating. When we walked in it was a bit warm and I was like yuck! They were very friendly and service ended up being great. We were seated immediately and brought drinks out right away. They gave us an order of complementary muscles along with a plate of other complimentary goodies to try out. We ordered three different types or rolls plus sake and beer too :) Everything was just amazing! We will definitely be coming back here and will recommend this place to family and friends. We cant wait to go back again too! The best part was having shots of sake at the end of the meal with the restaurant owner and his wife who was the Sushi Chef, Hehe Awesome! It was a great fun experience when I thought it was going to be not so good for a small place with not many customers ...

    (5)

  • Tad D.

    Literally the best sushi I've found in San Diego County. I have lived in Japan, and this is authentic Japanese sushi. They do it right with super fresh fish. Definitely check it out.

    (5)

  • Charlene L.

    Just came here for a quick stop. Didn't get much to eat, but so far it's pretty good. And the service is always on track. Had the spicy tuna roll and friend had California roll and fried squid roll. I'll probably be coming back to order more and give better review. :)

    (3)

  • Charles P.

    I've been a frequent customer of Steve's for nearly four years. Be forewarned, the restaurant is dimly lit, the seats will wobble, and your waitress will speak little English. But the sushi, the sushi is unmatched. So good in fact that the night before I deployed to Afghanistan, I chose Sushi N Joy as possibly the last restaurant I would ever eat at. I've traveled across most of California, and I've stopped eating sushi at other restaurants because quite frankly, now they disappoint me. If I could give 6 stars, I would.

    (5)

  • B B.

    Owner is rude and he leaves food and dishes out from the night before.. GO LOOK FOR YOURSELF. Owner gets drunk while working and I have had bad experiences multiple times at this restaurant!!

    (1)

  • Sally L.

    Seriously the best experience I have had in a long time! Probably the best sushi I've ever had! Generous portions & very fresh! To my surprise they brought 2 baked mussels, a serving of cold saki & 2 servings of ice cream on the house. The service was great! They were friendly & always right there! Looking forward to returning again very soon!

    (5)

  • Walter M.

    As a teenager with my own income I was able to develop my love for sushi much earlier than my friends, being adventurous in life and food they fostered a future foodie. At that age it was hard to understand the value of good food and an expansive palate. Most were worried about buying beer. I would consistently save my money to take long lunch breaks from school and come here for their AYCE lunch specials. I would load up on Washington Rolls, Shrimp Tempura Rolls, anything deep fried. I had a young man's bottomless pit of a stomach so the value was totally there. Having grown up eating fish I wasn't at all opposed to the texture. Now among my circles it's almost a sin to not like sushi, nay love sushi. I can say my love started at a young age and with an OG spot like this they served me well. A ton of history in the area with the more traditional hours, ownership and menu. I've been coming here more than a decade and was one of my go to 1st date spots. They are pretty hospitable in splitting the bills, but can be strict on the pay for what you don't eat rule. One busy nights they can get swamped as I feel the bar tends to really order versus other sushi restaurants that sometimes use it as overflow or odds and ends groups. They could use a little bit of a facelift while keeping their many iconic decorations. Their menu while already updated could use a real theme to it. A staple in my sushi rotation this place has a lot of history with me and although I don't come here enough it will always hold a special place in my heart as how I first got my sushi on.

    (5)

  • Greg S.

    Above and beyond the call of duty for service. Not only did we get the staples of a sushi bar, but kimchi, oysters, and sake. Me and the friends I came here with will be returning .

    (5)

  • Alex B.

    Check this place out! Really awesome sushi and the chefs enjoy serving their guests! We had a party of about 12 a few weeks back and they made us feel so incredibly welcome! I would definitely suggest this place to go for large groups of people! I have never felt so welcomed at a place! We went here for my sister's birthday, even though we had never been here before. We were overwhelmed with the amazing service! They were there to help us and then some! We felt like kings. The portions were very generous. I loved the fresh salmon sashimi! My favorite sushi roll was the roll with fresh salmon and avocado, hands down. It was reasonably priced too! They made sure our stomachs were full and our glasses were never empty. Thank you Sushi N Joy! We will be back!

    (5)

  • Lucia M.

    Best sushi place hands down! The place is pretty simple. But the food is far from simple...its amazing! So fresh, no fishy taste! The portions are HUGE! Ridiculously HuGE! Their hands rolls will blow your mind, a meal with in themselves! The staff is so friendly and attentive, always bringing free appetizers; sake, muscles, sushi salad! The cook steve is so friendly and always handing out free shots if u sit at the bar. The albacore sashimi is incredible! You have to try it, it will become your new favorite place!

    (5)

  • Nelson T.

    Been coming here for over 5 years, the freshest sushi you will find in SD! Steve is amazing, and always a great experience! The albacore nigiri is hands down the best I have ever had! Also you must try the yellow tail tar tar!!! I will never go to another sushi joint!

    (5)

  • Danielle W.

    Best sushi place if you looking for large cuts of fish for not a lot of money. It's a little hole in the wall place, not very fancy but great sushi. Steve the sushi chef/owner is so funny and loves to give out free saki shots as well as the mussel appetizer.

    (5)

  • Eddie H.

    I miss this place so much. After being relocated to the East Coast and now banished to Omaha, I dream of this place. The prices are incredibly affordable, the fish is very fresh and the servings are huge! No matter what I order the chef always includes some extra slices of sashimi, sushi or other little treats. The service is what you would expect for a family run restaurant. Growing up in the family biz myself I can see how it would be off putting to have the dad/chef/owner yelling at the kids across the sushi counter to fill up water but what are you going to do?

    (4)

  • Daniel L.

    All of those one star reviews are wack. Today, I wanted to treat myself to some sushi for my birthday, so i decided to go back to good ol' faithful, Sushi N Joy. Steve immediately recognized me and apologized because he had read my last update in which I docked a star for the higher prices... however Steve explained that I came in right after the one-star reviews and he made changes immediately to address their concerns. He then proceeded to make it all up to me. He gave me my best meal at Sushi N Joy to date. I was so happy. He even was making some makeshift mixture of cucumbers and soju in a pitcher and kept sneaking it to me. Steve, you've earned the star that I took off back. He earns it back not just because the food is stellar, but because he actually reads, listens to and cares about the feedback he gives. That is a good restaurant. Plus, I'm still groaning with pleasure 3 hours later with a full stomach of fish.

    (5)

  • Monica A.

    Best Sushi in town hands down! The Albacore Nigiri is absolutely delicious! The portion is so huge and melts in your mouth. There is no need to eat specialty rolls here, the fish is so fresh and delicious. No need to mask flavors with fried food and spicy mayo. Don't get fooled by the hole in the wall look, the food speaks for itself. Tip: by the Sushi Chef/Owner a beer, he will hook you up!

    (5)

  • Tony T.

    Just really the best sushi! Try to go around 7ish when steve starts drinking and sit at the bar

    (5)

  • Tinisha P.

    I usually am not too much into Japanese and or Chinese food but I tried this place last night and... BEST IV HAD! They also gave us some complimentary little bowls/plates of stuff (may or may not have been because we went around the time they were closing) This is the only place I will go for sushi now. Just delicious, and authentic Japanese food! You don't come across that often. DEFINITELY RECOMMEND!

    (5)

  • James W.

    Fresh sushi, not fancy but generous. Got comped mussel appetizers, sake (serve cold in wood cup), and mochi ice cream dessert. Great service - ask for Lucy, she'll take good care of you.

    (4)

  • Amy D.

    I love this little place. Awesome owners that are always smiling and very fresh food! I love their spicy tuna and dragon roll. Great prices and convenient location. I visit often!

    (5)

  • Allie S.

    A favorite neighborhood spot. Great sushi. Fresh and generous portions. The place itself is old, cluttered and a bit smelly. Steve the owner hooks you up with freebies and the waitresses are kind and attentive. If it's atmosphere you want, get your order to go and take your yummy food to the park!

    (4)

  • Kristina L.

    *lobster roll* nuff said. Oh and Steve is awesome.

    (5)

  • Penelope P.

    Really liked this place for several reasons. We came in near closing time but they still served us. Good prices, and they also gave us extra of the insides of our sushi. We also got complimentary oysters, which were delicious. Very nice service. Would definitely go back there.

    (5)

  • Brian C.

    This is sushi's response to the Southern Caroline BBQ, New York deli sandwiches, or even our very own carne asada fries. It's pure fishy decadence piled high, which, while seemingly having little concern for presentation, is simply mesmerizing to the senses. Quantity is often used to obscure quality, but once you take that first bite of yellowtail sashimi or lobster roll and see how small of a dent you've made in your portion, be warned that you may experience overwhelming joy. If you're concerned about decor or ambiance, this will be important for saving the meal during your visit. Sushi N' Joy is, and I mean this endearingly, a sushi dive. When it comes to value and flavor, you shouldn't expect better anywhere in the area, but if you're looking for elegant pieces of nigiri from Jiro's dreams, this ain't it.

    (5)

  • Jessica M.

    Totally love this place for lunch. Very affordable and provide quick service. I really miss this place since I'm now working at a new location. I do stop in to grab a bite when in in the area. I love that they give you free cucumbers with your order unlike other places that give no freebies (salad/cucumbers) when you order a roll. I am only giving 4 stars as their interior decor could use some help.

    (4)

  • J C.

    I rate this place a 5 star for sushi quality and authenticity, which I hope is the most important factor when choosing sushi. Did I mention it's also the best priced around?! In comparison to the other sushi joints in Oceanside/Vista/Carlsbad/San Marcos area, this is by far the most AUTHENTIC and fresh sushi you'll find. People come here for the sushi, the Japanese owner and sushi chef , not the fancy sauces, special martinis or fancy lighting some people enjoy. Atmosphere probably rates more like a 3...definitely not the place to come if you're trying to wow a first-date with "ambience." However, if you wanted to wow a first-date with AWESOME sushi...then come here. My husband and I refuse to go anywhere else north of Encinitas anymore. This is not the place for someone who: ~loves teriyaki and other americanized versions of Japanese cuisine ~who wants to be "seen" This is the place for someone who: ~totally appreciates authentic Japanese sushi and service...Japanese styel, don't forget to offer the chef a glass of sake if you order a bottle. You'll be happy you did! ~loves fish so fresh it melts in your mouth ~nigiri and sashimi prepared with appropriate/authentic garnish ~fresh perfect sushi rice (not crunchy old rice with too much vinegar) ~speaks Japanese and wants to shoot the *&!t with chef and his sous chefs Example of husband and I's last bill: 2 apps (miso soup), 1 tall Saporo, 1 green tea, 10 nigiri (yellowtail, salmon, fresh eel, snapper), 2 hand rolls (salmon skin) = $52 for the best NIGIRI (large pieces might I add) in town!

    (5)

  • Bea C.

    Used to come here all the time and stopped about five years ago no particular reason just stopped. Came on Friday 1/24 and their sushi is great, they are very generous with the fish and rolls do not have allot of rice like all other places I been to. My two new favorite rolls were the summer roll it was really light and good and the lemon roll was my all time favorite roll I have ever tasted in my life, it was refreshing and a party in my mouth just writing about it makes me want to order a to go roll

    (4)

  • Rhiana H.

    Maybe it was a 3. Perhaps I am mean. The servers were nice but completely oblivious and klutzy (spilled sauce all over our table, didn't provide napkins or clean it). The rolls were poorly assembled. My dad and I both ended up feeling a bit sick afterward - not a sign of good food, especially raw fish.

    (2)

  • Victoria A.

    Yo... What the hell did I just get served?! After seeing all the positive reviews on yelp I was excited to go to sushi n joy. I sat at the sushi bar and ordered a CA handroll. I got served alot of Krab but the stench was so unbearable I canceled the rest of my order paid for the HR and left. To say I was disgusted would be an understatement. The cherry on top: I spent the rest of my day throwing that ish up. Sushi n' joy is more like sushi n' oi! will not be going back. ps. someone please tell the server a joke, girlfriend needs to smile wayyyyy more.

    (1)

  • Emily C.

    That was weird experience, I mean really weird. place was dirty and smell, food was just gross! Yuk! I won't be back there again.

    (1)

  • Sandy D.

    In my opinion... BEST SUSHI IN SOCAL! My family and I have been coming here for years so I'm totally happy to say this is my first yelp review. Sushi N Joy is a small family run sushi restaurant that makes great sushi. I have so many good things to say about this sushi spot, but I will try to keep it short. The sushi is great, it's so good that it's the one places that I absolutely have to take my friends and family who are from out of town. What I love about this place is the freshness and quality of the food. I'm extremely picky when it comes to eating raw fish. If it doesn't meet my standards, I have no problem sending it back. I have NEVER had to do this at Sushi n Joy. The sushi is tasty, the flavor is always on point. Also, they serve very generous portions. In comparison to other sushi restaurants, you get more than what you would typically pay for somewhere else. The one thing I hear a lot of people complain about is the service. While I've never had a negative experience, I understand if the process is confusing to some people... So here you go. The process: you come in, typically there will be a waitress to seat you and take your drink order but if not go ahead and seat yourself at either a table or at the sushi bar. The waitress will eventually get to your table to take your drink order, this place gets super crowded sometimes, so be patient. Meanwhile, you can grab a white order sheet, which will either be at your table or the sushi bar. Print your name on top of the paper and mark off what you want to order. I usually put little bars for the number of orders I want ( example, III= 3 orders) There are menu's floating around with the descriptions of the different rolls they have. When your done filling out your form, just set it on top of the sushi bar. On super crowded nights, I recommend sipping on sake or a Sapporo as you wait for your sushi. It is totally worth the wait! My recommendations : 1. Salmon and Albacore nigiri ~ large pieces of delicious fresh salmon and the albacore in a sweet glaze with a dab of Sriracha. 2.Crouching salmon roll ~ shrimp tempura and crab wrapped in rice, topped with salmon, a sweet sauce, and tempura crispies. 3.Heart attack roll ~ This is a deep fried tempura roll that has cream cheese and fresh Jalapeno on the inside, I think it also has spicy tuna. Even though its fried, its actually pretty light. Also, the jalapenos are seeded and de-veined so you get the jalapeno taste and flavor without the extreme spiciness of a Jalapeno. 4. Monkey brains ~ This one may not be on the menu, you'll have to ask for it (or just write it in on your order sheet). Its a tempura battered and fried mushroom stuffed with spicy tuna I believe. Its very good.

    (5)

  • Angela C.

    I used ot order the lunch combos from this place when I worked by there, the food is always fresh but their customer service is pretty bad and their eel is WAYYYY overpriced (along with the nigiri) I just feel like there are several good sushi places in a close enough region that I probably wouldn't go out of my way to come here. They used to be quite a bit better, they also used to have an AYCE which is no longer in effect.

    (3)

  • Blake H.

    We've been looking for a place with good sushi and this one measures up. We've gone twice and both times thought that the food and service was great.

    (5)

  • D L.

    The best sushi in a family atmosphere!!! Spicy seafood salad and many others!!!

    (5)

  • Katy N.

    Let me start out by saying that this place is amazing!! The other night, my guy and I were craving sushi, so we headed over to Hooked On in Carlsbad, only to see that they were completely packed! We did not feel like waiting, so we decided to head over to Sushi N Joy. We were happy to see that this place was not nearly as packed, still busy, but not crazy. We were seated at the bar pretty quickly. Moments after we sat down, we were presented with a plate of cucumber and tako salad, which was awesome! After perusing the menu for a few minutes, we decided on a Spicy Tuna roll, the Rainbow roll, Sumo roll and a Lemon roll, along with Yellowtail and Eel sushi. After we ordered, we were presented with what looked like baked mussels topped with crab? We hesitated for a moment, since we didn't order this, but after asking, they said it was for us! Cool. And it was delicious! Anyway, the rolls came out one at a time. Normally, this might be slightly frustrating, but the chefs were busting their butts behind the counter, so no biggie! All of the rolls were absolutely delicious, but I think the Lemon roll was my favorite! Really fresh fish with a tiny slice of lemon that packed quite a punch! On to the sashimi. We got 2 orders, and they were both great. The eel came out last, and it was toasty and so good! The Yellowtail just may have been the highlight of the evening. It was easily the biggest portion I have ever gotten! Each piece was nearly 1/2 an inch thick and maybe 4 1/2 inches long, with a couple little pieces on top! And it was sooo good, literally melted in my mouth! Once we were finished gorging ourselves with fish, we asked for a little to go box for the leftovers, and they promptly brought that and a couple little pieces of those ice cream balls, which I have never had before. All in all, it was a thoroughly great meal! The only gripes I have are that they use wasabi on the sashimi which is not for me since I can't stand wasabi, but now I know for next time! Also, it was kind of frustrating that the servers kept having to lean over the sushi bar to get the food for their tables. Luckily, there was no one sitting next to me, so they had a little extra room, but I still had to keep scooching over every time they had to pull food. Oh well, a small price to pay for the delicious meal! We will DEFINITELY be back!!

    (4)

  • Nikki H.

    This is an excellent hole-in-the-wall sushi joint. I've been here on many occasions; dine- in and take out. Very satisfied with both options. Fish is fresh and rolls are made very well. Dine-in: Very small restaurant provides an intimate setting, the waitresses are always close by to get anything you desire and the chefs are very friendly and fast. Take-out: Call in or pick up, they are quick and never forget anything. I am known to check the bag when ordering anywhere and they always send me on my way with extras of everything. Highly recommended.

    (4)

  • Andy C.

    This place is delicious and they give an nice and generous amount of extra fish on top of the roll that you get. I have a good feeling about this place since it really reminds me of my parents place. The typical mom and pop sushi restaurant with the children of the owners running the shop. I gotta say that the food is nice and delicious, and most important, cheap!!! but the only thing that I didn't enjoy was that the rolls were very sloppy. The roll began to break even before I picked it up with my chopsticks and that's just not good quality to me.

    (3)

  • Eifeh S.

    For all the years I've lived in Oceanside and passed by this center I never got around to trying Sushi N Joy until a few days ago. I am a sushi lover and after living in the San Francisco area for the last year, I've been spoiled with good cheap sushi. This place fits both those categories. I ate: - Salmon Roll ($3.99) - Spicy Scallop Roll ($4.99) First thing I loved was that the rolls weren't packed with rice. I hate when I feel like I'm eating a rice roll with some fish. Second thing I love is the extra fish they put on the roll. With every roll the put a few extra slices on the plate for you to enjoy. The Salmon Roll was good. Little rice and lots of salmon, just the way it should be. The Spicy Scallop roll was my favorite though. I added the word spicy onto the menu and when it came out it was the perfect spicyness; not to mention the incredible amount of extra scallop that was plopped on top. Not only did I get my Spicy Scallop Roll I got lots of extra spicy scallops and they were so good. All the other food my friends had was really good too. For basic sushi the price is unbeatable. The specialty rolls they have are about average for specialty rolls (about $10). Overall, love Sushi N Joy. I will definitely be back.

    (4)

  • Katherine Y.

    My friends have been eating here for the last 10+ years? It's a bit of a drive from my house but a friend of mine was having birthday shindig so I drove up for the night. The owners and staff are really friendly and we had great service. Not sure if everyone gets that but the owners knew my friends pretty well. They also serve Moonshine in wooden boxes. I've never heard of it but just taking a sniff of it, it seems pretty potent! It definitely does the job as most of my friends were a little bonkers within the next 30 minutes. The food was delicious! Actually, it's not your typical sushi joint. The meals are served with a twist? I'm not too sure of how to describe it but you definitely aren't ordering just plain old albacore. I think their menus vary from lunch to dinner and I think this place focused more on fish and less on the teriyaki bowl stuff. To my knowledge, they were open pretty late. We were one of the last

    (5)

  • Tiffany V.

    Slow service. Not a big deal for me though. Free edamame and baked green mussels as appetizers. Mussels were very yummy, sweet and rich. Red dragon roll. Crouching salmon roll. Pearl roll. Rainbow roll. All rolls have thick cuts of fish and they all taste very fresh. Like melt in your mouth fresh. Especially the salmon. Also got salmon, tuna, and yellowtail sushi. They give you 2 very thick slices of fish on 2 rice beds PLUS 2 extra sashimi pieces. I seriously can't believe how thick the slices are...like a centimeter thick! One of the sushi chefs came around all the tables asking how everyone's meal was. It was very nice.

    (5)

  • Chris W.

    This was by far the best sushi I've had in a long time. Fresh, flavorful and great service to boot. The owner noticed it was out first time here and sent out two complimentary baked mussels. Simple gesture that goes a long way.

    (5)

  • Anthony M.

    Last night I called to place an order to go, and had an experience I thought was worth sharing here. When the phone was answered and the woman was in the process of taking my order, she stopped mid-order to tell me they're too busy and hung up! Very upset (I waited a few minutes to try again) I tried to call back, no answer. Yesterday was my brother in laws bday and sushi was the request. I thought this was the only sushi place by my house so despite my experience I decided to suck it up, go in & get the sushi in person. To my surprise, I get there and the place is barely half full. Semi pleased that it wouldn't take long I tried to place my order but was told it would take over half an hour! For 3 rolls!!! I left and ended up at Sushi 21, right around the corner and empty. The sushi was great & the service was amazing. They gave me a free sake while I was waiting and the couple running the place couldn't have been any nicer. I'd recommend Sushi 21 over this place any day.

    (1)

  • Meghan W.

    My boyfriend and I just tried this place out tonight on the recommendation of some friends and we loved it. We have tried out several sushi places around the area and until tonight hadn't found one that we wanted to revisit. The place is definitely a bit of a "hole in the wall", but all the best places are like that. The service wasn't great, but that was mainly due to a language barrier which is par for the course here in SoCal. The food though, oh man the food was amazing. The fish was very fresh and everything tasted delicious. We order 4 rolls and they all came out looking great. It was well worth the reasonable prices. To top off the great experience we were given several free goodies: these great cucumber slices with what I think was rice vinegar on them, snap peas and some mussels stuffed with crab. Needless to say, I'll be back!

    (5)

  • April D.

    I'm a big sushi lover, so are my co-workers. So at least every paycheck we go out to sushi. We've been to a couple places and I remembered going to Sushi N Joy for my Vice Versa dinner with friends. I didn't think much of it at the time. But I decided to take a chance on it with more of my friends. And I've gotta say, out of all the sushi places so far, they've been the most down to Earth, affordable, accommodating Sushi places I've been to. We had a party of 7 and even though the front of house isn't too big; they pushed together the smaller tables for us. They started us off with some Edamame that was salted, which was never done at any other place I've been to. Pretty interesting twist, almost like they were sunflower seeds. The sushi was so good! I had The Mexican roll, The Dragon roll, and a Salmon Skin Roll. We all traded amongst our table and we're never disappointed. They were also made incredibly fast with a bunch of extra toppings like crab or salmon skin on top. They ended the meal by presenting the check with sliced up pieces of Mochi ice cream which was a first to some of my friends. So good that we went to Trader Joe's right after and bought more. The environment at Sushi N Joy is calm, relaxing. A place where you can really enjoy the sushi without any other distractions. It is incredibly affordable for the quality and proportion of sushi you get. We will definitely be having more sushi outings at Sushi N Joy in the future!

    (5)

  • Kimberly A.

    Don't come in here expecting to order a chicken teriyaki bento box. This place only serves sushi and rolls. And it was super tasty and delectable sushi I might add! Prices are about normal or maybe a little higher ($10+ per roll), but you can definitely taste the freshness and love in their food. Everything we ordered was top notch and the chef even put extra pieces of salmon on our plate. Now that's really generous and unexpected!! Casual, small mom and pop environment. They even use colorful seaweed wrapper! Overall, I highly recommend this sushi joint if you actually eat raw fish. None of that California roll nonsense please!! Some recommendations: Crouching Salmon roll, Pearl roll, and Alaska roll.

    (5)

  • Desi V.

    What a pleasant dining experience! We had such great service and the sushi was amazing, we just might end up here again tomorrow night!!! The nigiri was delicious and fresh! Loved the hawaiian and Washinton roll!!

    (4)

  • Margo V.

    I was looking for a sushi place in the area and was pointed by my gps to this. I went here because of the good reviews. The sushi is fresh and I agree that they served the best Philadelphia roll I ever had. The presentation is not that nice. The servings are not that big either. Other than that, the service is bad. The owner yells a LOT. He does yell at his wife and staff. The staff does not have any customer service skills at all. The decor surely needs to be updated. I sat near the kitchen and oh boy, there is a puddle of water on the floor. Total work comp issue and you don't micromanage and yell at your employees that way. They look scared, confused and too busy.

    (3)

  • Jen K.

    Fast, friendly service, and very fresh sushi! My husband and I enjoyed our circus roll, yellowtail sushi, salmon sushi, and spicy tuna roll. We came right before the kitchen closed, so to make sure we had enough, our waitress also brought us some complimentary baked mussels and mochi ice cream dessert, and I'm glad she did!

    (5)

  • Rene N.

    Amazing Sushi and awesome staff! BSCR is delicious and they load you up with the baked scallops! Yummy!! Just found our regular spot!

    (5)

  • Brian N.

    Best sushi in North County, but the decor (and sometimes service) leaves something to be desired. As long as you go into the experience expecting the sushi to be amazing, and everything else is not as important, you will be happy with your trip. If you are the type of person where the food is ruined by the decor that is not 5 star and service where if you need something you have to ask, this is probably not the place for you. They are always friendly, just not the most attentive at times, so just ask and they will be happy to get you what you want. Everyone I have taken to this place has been warned about the vibe and has been completely satisfied with their experience. The rainbow roll, caterpillar roll, and scallop roll are all very good.

    (5)

  • Jessica M.

    Dirty!!! Do not eat here unless you want to be sick and deaf the sushi chef is always yelling so if you want to be deaf and sick here is the place to go! And they have people waiting behind you like vultures ready to seize your plate super creepy

    (1)

  • Scott S.

    Needs a makeover aesthetically, but food fresh and sashimi cut right. Great chefs and service, but dark and dingy makes it not as pleasant an experience as it could be.

    (4)

  • Joe H.

    I walked in, took a seat, then was asked to move. I sit down, order a drink, then was asked to scoot over! If the food was good, moving around the restaurant would be worth it.

    (2)

  • M E.

    Best authentic sushi in North County...hands down. The owners are very gracious and generous chefs, and make amazing food. Steve, the owner, is very kind and friendly behind the sushi bar. I recommend this place to everyone. Great fresh sashimi, and Lobster roll is a winner for newcomers...

    (5)

  • Brad L.

    This place has the best sushi... way better then Hanna sushi... that costs twice as much and horrible service... I once waited for a to-go order for over 30 minutes... they gave me my whole order (feeding 5 people... over $75) for free... Just try it and tell me what you think!

    (5)

  • Frances K.

    Bar none, this is the best sushi I have ever found, even having lived in the bay area for a decade. Huge portions, with lots of extras. Fresh and delicious. I try to go at least once a week. The spicy tuna hand roll is amazing, stuffed with yummy spicy tuna, flowing out onto the plate. Rainbow roll is amazing. And the lobster roll is just plain decadent, loaded with langostino lobster and crab. Mmmmm.

    (5)

  • K N.

    This is my favorite sushi place in the San Diego area and I think their prices are pretty reasonable. The tiger roll is my favorite! Very good!!

    (5)

  • christine e.

    4 stars for the food, 3 stars for the service, although the service is getting better. The nigiri, sashimi and rolls have the freshest fish in them, and the rolls are creative. I love the lemon roll. They give extra portions of fish with your order. The scallop roll is the best I have ever had. It's a bit more expensive than other places, but so worth it. I have eaten in A LOT of sushi places here and in the SF area and their fish is VERY fresh! They do not mask the nigiri with lemon slices, or sauces on it. The atmosphere here has seemed to mellow out, so now I eat in more than take out. It's the sushi place I recommend most to my friends. Smile Steve, it looks great on you! :D

    (4)

  • Trevor H.

    Wow. This place greatly exceeded expectations. Appetizers on the house, the food was extremely tasty and the portions were perfect. I plan to go again. The decorum was maybe not that great, but I felt everything else was so good that ill give it 5 stars still. And they were so fast too. The first plate we ordered was on our table in less then 5 minutes.

    (5)

  • Bruce M.

    WHAT IS THAT SMELL? I can only remember walking in, sitting down, and walking out of a restaurant like twice in my life, and I am not that young. My wife is Japanese, and I have a house in Japan, so I think I know a little bit about Japanese food. But we couldn't really get to the sushi. The whole restaurant smells bad, and like others have alluded to, the tables are dirty and run down. But it was the smell that really got to both my wife and i. There was no way we could eat there. So we left. I do NOT understand how people can be into thi places. Possibly if I waited to order some food I might have been impressed? Please, to the owner of this restaurant... clean it, disinfect it, and when the place does not smell awful, text me and we will come in and give it another shot and be happy to re-review. But for now, there was no way I could stomach eating at your place. It's a shame, because it's close to our new house, and we need a weekly sushi hangout. Very disappointed.

    (1)

  • diana d.

    I'm usually only in this neck of the woods when visiting family thus never really requiring to eat out here. But we were coming home from a music recital and were too hungry to wait. So I pulled out my trusty 8 Ball (Yelp Android App) to see where it would direct us. Sushi N Joy seemed to have the most positive reviews per capita within the 2 miles radius. Wasn't quite sure what to expect when we first sat down since it wasn't the fanciest of places, but those feelings immediately dissipated when our waitress brought over a few samplers "on the house" while we waited for our food! She must have thought we were were ravage wolves the way we scarfed them down. Couple of the samplers were a cucumber salad and a calamari salad - sure wished I had ordered those salads as an entre'. They were amazing! The rolls we ordered came out very fresh, delicious and timing was perfect. Almost too perfect ; I'd think they were watching us the entire time if there weren't a bunch of other customers already there. They even brought out a desert sampler (mochi ice cream) for us at the end. Oh. And if you're a vegetarian - they have the best Veggie Roll! I thoroughly enjoyed every part of the dining experience. Sort of glad they aren't too close to home otherwise I'd go more often - but I will be back, that's for sure!

    (4)

  • Helen W.

    This little place was an average Japanese restaurant for food as the only sushi we had were the Calif rolls, which IMO was just ok, tho my bf claims they were the best he's ever eaten. I ordered the chicken teriyaki. The chicken tasted fresh and not overlooked as with most places. There was a little rice, a small salad and a small amount of cucumber salad which was very good. My bf had the beef which was thinly sliced and flavorful along with the same sides. A bit more $$ than comparable local Japanese, but still worth a return visit for their sushi which seems to be their strong point.

    (3)

  • Holly S.

    This has become our favorite sushi place; we have started seeing regulars as we have become regulars. Kinda fun. Always happy to go here, but have noticed evenings can get rowdy if the "Moonshine" has been flowing for a while.

    (5)

  • Marybeth D.

    I went here with my girlfriend who absolutely raves about it and her pregnant butt happened to be craving it. I walked in and was a little put off by how small it was. We sat down at the bar and were immediately attended to. We got drinks, miso soup, and COMPLIMENTARY appetizers within minutes. The sushi not only tasted great, but looked great. I had to stop and take a picture because I wanted to remember how great my food looked before I devoured it. The people there were super nice, too! Can't wait to go back

    (5)

  • Dan N.

    Wow, I ate here with a friend and it was 24 bucks for a ton of food. Free edamame at the start of the meal. Spicy tuna rolls with so much fish it was falling off, Ben's Brother (so glad I learned about that one on here!), and Heartattack Roll (more like jalapeno poppers.. but so good), plus beef don.. amazing. Way too much food :) Free chocolate ice cream mochi at the end of the meal. The service really is running around like crazy to bring you everything as soon as possible. The one thing I didn't like was that the waitress stood right in front of our table, watching and waiting every second until she could take things off of it. They brought out the rolls as they were made.. so we ate one after another, but it wasn't a big deal. Sometimes it's nice to mix it up more though.. when everything is out at once. Basically it's like having a Sushi Deli in Oceanside, only no wait and not deemed "hip". I'm so glad this place is 5 minutes away from me. New favorite restaurant. I can't go here enough. UPDATE: 2 friends and I ate here for 22 dollars.. amazing! We were completely full/satisfied. The salmon roll and spicy albacore are both delish and the yakisoba = mmm.

    (4)

  • Jen T.

    I really love this place! Right down the street from home so I find myself here often. All the fish is reasonably priced and very fresh! Steve is a great chef too! I'm always sure to send him a beer if he's in the drinking mood and his creations are definitely a work of art! The albacore is pure amazingness and the sake in a box cup is a nice touch! This place is always packed in the evenings because it's pretty small, but worth the wait! The wait staff is very attentive for refilling and clearing your plates so there's always room for your next item! I'll keep going back!

    (5)

  • Charlotte W.

    Friend and I were at sushi bar and friend ordered teriyaki bowl and owner said could not sit at sushi bar. REALLY ! Second time I was there owner yelling at the help and making it uncomfortable. Owner very rude will not be going back.

    (2)

  • Nancy L.

    This place has it all, great sushi, great prices and the best hospitality. The chef isn't stingy with the amount of food given & gives lots of free food and alcohol! I went on a Wednesday night & most of the songs playing that night were up-to-date too! This is my new spot!

    (5)

  • Donny D.

    IN RESPONSE TO JON J.: 44 hours ago I love sushi. You're right, I'm not from O-side. I'll save the details as to why I'm always there, but I do drive out of my way from L.A. for sushi in Oceanside quite often. I think Oceanside has better sushi restaurants than L.A., hands down. I take customer service seriously. I currently work in that field, and I have for years. Take Hana Sushi for example: you know what happens when that one hour mark hits? I keep ordering sushi, and the sushi chef keeps on making it for me. I have passed the good reviews to friends and family, and I also bring in large groups there to this day. Sushi 21 is another good spot in Oceanside. They have a one hour limit, so I know that after that first hour it's time to wrap it up; it's expected. Yes, I do know where Sushi N Joy is, and I have been there. Despite my bad experiences there I have kept going back to give them more chances. I love their sushi, in fact it was my favorite spot above every sushi restaurant that I have ever been to! The cuts are huge! But my review is true, after that first hour they have altered my orders. It's happened when I've eaten there with my brother and on separate occasions with my girlfriend. It wasn't like it was too crowded, and we weren't rushing the sushi chef. That's not right to do that. They substituted our sushi with small cuts of the fish mixed with cabbage and noodles. Even when I asked the waitress (which I think was the owner's wife), she insisted that it was the same thing. Am I wrong for finding this unacceptable? If that is their way of conducting business, then maybe they should change it to "one hour AYCE." No other sushi place that I have been to has done this. It's bad business. I will never go back there, and I did write a shitty review; you are right. If that's never happened to you after the first hour, then I wish I could've been given the same service you've received. Thank you for your criticism. I write what I mean, and I mean what I write. Happy holidays.

    (1)

  • Tina T.

    This is the only thing I miss since I've moved out of SD and back to LA, this sushi place. Please note that I'm review only non-raw food here. =) CONS: -I wish they never had weird open and closed hours. -The place can be a little small but it's cozy. PROS: -I visited SD and had to stop in for dinner. $20 for salmon skin roll, chicken udon, and crab green mussels. CHEAP! -I messed up and marked the wrong thing on the sushi paper. I accidentally marked salmon roll instead of my usual salmon skin roll. They didn't even throw it in my face, they simply just took it and made me what I meant to order! I loved that they didn't throw it my face that I ordered it wrong thing. -As always, I get the roll with one hand full of fried salmon skin on top... yum! -They gave us green mussels to sample. I was hooked. It beats my usual cheese mussels filled with cheese and cream. They have great green mussels- topped with crab, light sweet soy based sauce, white creme, and fish eggs. Even though the salmon skin roll made me full, I had to finish the mussels! =) -Great service! They always came around to check up on us. -They topped our dinner off with a piece of mochi ice cream. My favorite! I can't vouch for the raw stuff but you gotta try the non-raw stuff here too! It's great!

    (5)

  • Jacqueline P.

    The best sushi place I've ever tried! Luv the hand rolls !!! The first serve u as an appetizer a weird salad that it's really good and then when I was done they brought me a weird ice cream made of green tea! LOL Loved it! A must go!

    (5)

  • John H.

    So, this place on a good night might be a decent sushi joint, but on the night I was there it was anything but. The food was overpriced, the sushi was low quality and falling apart, the owners were insane, and the help was below par. First off, there is a reason that you never see women as sushi chefs. It has nothing to do with sexism, but with simply biology. Women have thinner skin on their hands and therefore have warmer hands, which warms up the fish. I have never had a woman prepare my sushi before, but one of the two chefs working here was a woman and while I could not tell a difference in the temperature of my fish, my sushi was horribly made: it was falling apart, the rice was cool like it was leftover (should be warm, not hot), and the fish was room temperature instead of cool. One of the best things about sushi is cool fish with warm rice...they failed. The second thing were the owners, a Korean married couple that served as joint sushi chefs. It was apparent that they had had some kind of fight before opening as the doors opened 2 minutes late, but prior to opening had no lights or people in the whole restaurant...I was beginning to think they wouldn't open at all. The wife was professional, albeit not good at her job, but the husband was just bickering to her the entire time. I was at the bar and my wife is Korean, so she is fluent and I speak a bit...apparently the chefs did not glean to this fact. The husband was yelling horrible obscenities at his wife while they prepared, some of which I knew and others my wife did not even know the translation for...just suffice it to say they would get an R rating for "Strong Language". It was the most unprofessional display I have ever seen in a restaurant...period. Lastly, and this is mostly comical, but the owners seemed to have no faith in the help whatsoever, micromanaging simple things like when to answer the phone and where to seat the people as they came in. Apparently they don't have any faith at all in their staff. They are rushing to prepare as fast as possible, but still find time to tell the seater which table to seat people at...from behind the sushi bar yelling over my head. Conclusion: Perhaps I was just really unlucky and went there on their worst night, but I certainly won't go back to a place where the owners talk like that in front of the patrons and the sushi comes out that quality.

    (1)

  • Laura C.

    Sushi N Joy, what can I say? It is an Oceanside classic. Sushi N Joy has been around for quite some time and it's safe to assume that it's due to the delicious sushi. I have to agree with Cristyn T., the sushi here will fill you up and fill you up fast. It will not fill you up because it is packed with rice; the sushi will fill you up because it is full of tasty fish and the rolls are huge. The quality here is great. The sushi chef is continually working to make sure that the restaurant is running smoothly all the while crafting delicious morsels of sushi to fill your belly. I have been going to Sushi N Joy for at least 10 years and continue to go back whenever I'm in the area.

    (5)

  • Stefanie N.

    The best thing about this place is their sushi. It is as fresh and delicious as it gets. the lemon roll and red dragon roll are my fav. The complimentary apps, baked mussels and octopus salad are a nice touch, as well as the shots of sake and mochi at the end. I promise that you'll leave here super satisfied and want to tell all your friends! I only took one star off just for... umm..... the service? The owner is a bit crazy at times; yells at his staff and makes the ambiance a little awkward. This has happened maybe 25% of the times I've been here, but please don't let this scare you away, just know it may be coming and you'll be all set!

    (4)

  • Kim T.

    decent place with fairly fresh sashimi and pretty good rolls. kind of a hole in the wall place. cheaper rolls (with fish that is probably less fresh since they all contain some spicy salmon/tuna/etc.) are around $6-10/roll, and the more specialty rolls are $12-20/roll. Sushi (2 piece sashimi over rice) is around $5. Spent $33 for 3 rolls, tea (they charge $2 for hot tea), and tax/tip. Overall, decent but nothing worth writing home about.

    (3)

  • Adam K.

    Absolutely the BEST. I have been coming to this place for over 3 years and its the ONLY place I enjoy going. I can't stand fake sushi places. Ive been to Japan and Korea, and this is the closest to top quality sushi that I've found. I've noticed others comment negatively on the hole in the wall environment and their chicken items. Guess what? The name of the restaurant is not Sushi, Chicken N Joy. If you want a place with EXCELLENT quality, HUGE portions, and at a great price. Then Sushi N Joy is for you. If you want some expensive, gaudy, American sushi, then you might want to look elswhere. Sushi N Joy is the ultimate authentic sushi experience. I HIGHLY recommend the Yellowtail, Albacore, Mackerel, and Eel nigiri (two pieces on rice). If you dont like their sushi, then post that. But don't rate poorly because they have bad chicken. That's like slamming a great Mexican place because you had their cheeseburger.

    (5)

  • Dee M.

    Okay - so you know I had to roll through to Sushi N Joy after my peeps gave such good props. I decided to go for dinner yesterday and I am so glad I did. I had the audacity to walk in there all bubbly and brave by my lonesome. That was quite alright because I plopped my bright yellow ensemble right next to two of the coolest people I have ever met. They were quick to welcome me into their party. How fierce is that? Then the owner chef guy catered to me quite a bit. Made me a special hand roll that wasn't even on the menu. Now that's what I'm talkn about! The Grub - For starters, I had the miso soup and it was actually pretty good. Couldn't decide if I wanted to go with the all you can eat sushi for $27.99 or stick with a la carte. Sashimi was not included in the all you can eat special, but I like all the foo foo specialty rolls anyway so it was all good. Decided a la carte was the best way to go since I could only eat one or two rolls. I ordered the Philly hand roll, Dragon Roll (eel, avocado, crab) and the Cello Roll (crab on the inside - cooked shrimp and avocado on the outside...All I can say is that Sushi was the bomb! My bill came to $27.47. I'm giving it 4 stars minus 1 because it took soooo long to get my first order of sushi.

    (4)

  • JöHnNy A.

    :-( "YOUR KIDDING, RIGHT?" My stomach spotted this place as I pulled into this busy strip mall. Before I even made it to the other stores, my stomach read the sign: "ALL YOU CAN EAT SUSHI!" My stomach can be a self-centered illiterate whore. And yet I listen to it -- WTF?! When I entered it seeemed a bit sketchy.... the office furniture in the corner... the tired energy... My first inclination was to use their bathroom. You can always tell alot about a place by the way the bathroom is kept. GROSS. I've been to cleaner bathrooms in gas stations... As I sat down at the bar, I figured I'd ask about the "ALL YOU CAN EAT SUSHI!" I mean, why not, my stomach was screaming at me like an ACT-UP activist with a bull horn: "WHAT DO WE WANT?! SUSHI! WHEN DO WE WANT IT?! NOW!!!!!" I barely made out my waitresses reply (her spanish accent was so thick.) I think she mummbled $29.99 for ALL YOU CAN EAT SUSHI! I opted out-- "shut the f_ck up stomach!" BAIT AND SWITCH Anyways.. I figured I'd order my usual Dragon Roll... and that "special" California Roll for $3.99. In a quick minute my Dragon Roll was being handed to me and minutes later the California Roll. Wow.. that's FAST! (how fresh can that be?) Not only was I UNDERWHELMED by the experience thus far, but I was disappointed by the flavor of my sushi order. After paying $20 for the meal, I left thinking... "not gonna come back." Outside of the few cheap SPECIALS advertised on their window, the other rolls are really over priced for what you get. I'd expect these prices from other places that have HIGHER overhead, NICER decor, LIVELIER ambience and a more MASTERFUL/ARTFUL looking sushi presentation, not from a hole in the wall place like Sushi N Joy. Want an overpriced, no nonsense sushi joint in a strip mall? Then come to Sushi N Joy. I don't get what these other reviewers are saying. Have they actually eaten here SOBER? (or had a good look around inside?) The free quarter wedge of Green Tea Mochi doesn't make up for the experience. 1 Woofs.. YIKES! Clean it up people!

    (1)

  • Johny S.

    One of the worst sushi experiences I've had. I walked in and it was really warm inside and had a really funky smell. I've been to a lot of sushi restaurants and none had this funk looming in the air. Based on that I decided not to stay but instead do a to go order. I ordered salmon nigiri and a phillie roll. The quality of fish and rice on the nigiri was very poorly executed. It looked like they just scooped up a ball of rice and threw a overly fatty piece if salmon on it.

    (2)

  • Preeti T.

    Excellent sushi. The rolls and the sashimi were fresh. Really good lunch place. Service is average to poor.

    (4)

  • nina s.

    Got the Udon here. It was different, which is not necessarily bad, but it was definitely not better (or even as good as) what I've had before. It's really funny how the owners are a korean married couple and they bicker ALL THE TIME. haha. Would I come here again? Maybe if i was hungry and was really really craving japanese and didn't want drive too far. Then yes, maybe perhaps probably. haha. But otherwise? I'd go somewhere else like Harney's.

    (2)

  • Jonathan S.

    Nice big cuts of good quality fish! The owner truly cares about his guests and makes sure you are properly taken care of. After a few beers its exhilarating to watch him berate his staff and family as they try furiously to understand and react to his often drunken and confusing commands. Listening to his loud mouth while you happily enjoy his skillful food preparation are a great way to spend your evening meal. I am a frequent visitor, though my wife refuses to ever go back.

    (5)

  • Sarah V.

    My sisters love this place and took me here even though I'm mentally allergic to all things from the ocean that once had eyeballs. So I can only comment all all things not sushi except for some sort of squid hor d'oeuvres that I was tricked into eating. It was served with pickled cucumbers on the side and was really yummy until my boyfriend accidentally foiled the ruse by being surprised that I was eating squid. I ordered the Chicken Yakisoba which wasn't the best yakisoba I've ever had but it was okay. It was lacking a little bit in flavor. I also ordered gyozas which I did not like. The gyozas were served with a sauce that could have been miso soup if the bowl was only bigger. I'm not sure if their gyozas are frozen or not but if they are, I've had way better frozen gyozas. Service was good even though we had to wait a long loong time before being seated because we had a large group of 7. They also brought out a lot of free food for us which was cool. Everyone was extremely satisfied with the sushi though so I decided to give Sushi N Joy 4 stars but if I were to base my review only on their non-sushi food that I had, I would have to say that they only deserve 3 stars.

    (4)

  • Yolanda B.

    YUMINEESSS!!!! We went from yelp reviews and glad we did! We went for lunch on Wednesday afternoon and sat right down at the bar. We ordered the spicy tuna roll, tempura shrimp roll and the BSCR (which is like a dynamite roll but with baked scallops) DAMN it was good! The tuna roll was just o.k. but the other two were sooooooo good. And as others said they gave us a little taster plate of calamari and pickled cucumbers for free and then free little pieces of ice cream afterwards. Definitely a must try place! Thanks Yelpers, we can always count on you!

    (5)

  • Keith G.

    Real quick... if you pass this place up your wrong. No its not the fanciest hippest sushi place around, but it is most likley the freshest and cleanest tasting sushi you can find in north county. The chefs are real good at what they do, trust me you will be amazed. Pass on that other "joint" and n joy some bomb rolls from folks who know what they are doing.

    (5)

  • Courtney K.

    Hmm, well, I am a little surprised by the wide range of reviews for Sushi N Joy. Based on my experience, it fairly deserves at least three stars. I'll admit that the location its self isn't going to lure you inside and the interior doesn't have the glam and rockstar atmosphere of a place like Love Boat. However, Sushi N Joy has really fresh fish. If you feel like you pallet isn't that good then you might not taste the value in the fresh fish but this sushi is very good. Sushi N Joy does get busy so I think its fair to say that service can be "deliberate."

    (3)

  • Princess R.

    I'm truly surprised by the reviews. I live in North OC and honestly, I wish (almost on a daily basis) that I lived closer so that I could eat more often! We only visit every so often when we're down in the area for fishing. It takes away the sting of not catching a fish if it indeed turns out to be the case. =P The fish has always been fresh- my husband loves the lobster roll but since I'm allergic to shellfish, I stick with the Heart Attack Roll (oh my goodness- like so many tastes in my mouth, all vying for my attention- spicy tuna, jalapeno stuffed with cream cheese and the whole sucker is deep fried), the Philly Roll (I know large rolls are often admired but the ratio of cream cheese to the rest of the roll is important too- too much and the whole thing is too rich- and Sushi N Joy does it right), the Sumo Roll (I might have read it wrong when I read: 'baked salmon inside with fresh salmon outside' 'cos it was smoked salmon on the inside... though very very good too)... the rolls are usually garnished very prettily and also very tastily with extra flakes of this and that, sauces and also sprouts and such. The last time, we ate a roll made of some sort of, maybe soy paper (it was green), not seaweed wrapper, and the sushi didn't have rice in it but was filled with marinated seaweed, avocado, crab mayo mixture and a little raw salmon... so soooooooooo good and not terribly heavy. We've never tried the AYCE (do they still have that? not sure) as our appetites aren't terribly big and it would be a waste but I always feel full after a roll or two. My husband is in love with the tea which doesn't come from a tea bag but has little loose powdery bits in it... makes him feel like he's in Japan. =P We brought my dad recently and he said that it just set a new standard in what he considered good sushi eating. Good on you, Sushi N Joy! I guess I gotta find an excuse to go fishing again soon... XP The location is in a strip mall with Trader Joe's and Jack in the Box- not a upscale restaurant by any means but I want good quality rolls for a reasonable price and have been charged waaaaaaaaaay too much for a roll by regular restaurants and the rolls aren't as good as these ones. I don't want to see a schnazzy spa-like place just so I have to pay more for my rolls anyway. Good price point and excellent quality. Thumbs up!

    (5)

  • Amy L.

    THE most fresh sushi you can ever get! The owner gives you a nice juicy big piece of fish ontop of your tiny rice ball! The best sushi ever! They always welcome you with something free on the house. Do not be fool by their prices. The sushi are huge!! especially the salmon skin hand roll. It's HUGE!!! I love the albacore nigiri here!! yum yum yum!

    (5)

  • Sara Y.

    This place is legit! My husband is Japanese and therefore we are very picky about our sushi joints, if you are thinking about going here I would say, do your self a favor and go! Fish is super fresh and they definitely don't skimp on the portions. This place is authentically Japanese- From the service to the menu.

    (5)

  • Jordyn D.

    Fantastic food, and they give you free stuff all the time, however, it does need a little bit of clean up and the service isn't the very best. The portions are huge though and the fish is very fresh.

    (4)

  • Marjorie D.

    This Place is HORRIBLE, went down hill thought the years , w the rolls size, bad service, and cleaness, is iaky dirty towels to wipe tables, is a NIGHTMARE now, MONEY HUNGRY people. I used to go all the time for 4 years loyal costumer when the first open, never a problem, the fame went up to their heads after a while, they got rude, roles are half the size of what they use to be, got sick w food poisining twice from eating there, fish is not fresh trust me, taste fuuunky, the first time I though It was something else. but it happen again. The staff stress and yell at eachether, and my friend who spoke their lenguage told me ones that they call someone a cheapoo about the tip, and thats what they deserve or nothing for the lousy service, the husband is a pig yelling at his wife constanly. Bad fish bad Vibe. I use to order to go, and the last straw for me was the food poisoning number 1, and when I placed my last order to go over the phone, and as usually was NOT ready when I showed up, because they dont trust people not showing up, (a not trust worthy person is someone not to be trust). Went I showed up they charge me right away and the nasty owner cheff was helping the people at the bar taking new orders left and right after mine was in place, passed an hour by now since it was placed, they make me wait for another 40 mnts, and he had an attitute when done, I told the receptionist wow, I come here all the time, I have been waiting for waaaaaaay too long now, as he was ready to hand her the box to go, he asked pridefully for it back and said dont give her nothing, he said now go, I was on odd, what did he just did, total neurotic buisness owner??. I asked for my money back and they said they will void the transaction, which they never did because it showed up on my statement . If you want to experience this HELL of a place for yourself go ahead. NOt me there is plenty great places outthere

    (1)

  • Amanda R.

    I would say this place is on the lower side of sushi dining. But that's okay because they've got the low prices to match. Don't get me wrong the sushi is A-OK (hence the 3 stars) but if you're looking for Ambiance then you're out of luck. Wait staff is very friendly. They have meat/veggie options too for those that don't eat sushi and they're in the shopping center with Trader Joe's + Aaron Brothers. 2 very strong perks to this place. A) They give you a partial (aka small) piece of Green Tea or Raspberry Mochi with the check. A rarity in North County Sushi dining. B) When the Sushi chefs prepare the rolls they give you the left over cuts (read the stuff they had to cut off to make you sushi cut look pretty). They did this with my Salmon Nigiri and Spicy Tuna roll. Sweet!

    (3)

  • Ian W.

    I keep trying other sushi places, but seriously this place is the real deal. If you're looking for authentic sushi (as authentic as it gets in Cali.) with an authentic head chef. When you order nigiri you also get a small side of sashimi of the same fish as well as huge portions of fish on the nigiri it's self. The Albacore is always great and the salmon is very good also.

    (5)

  • Lux W.

    This place is so glorious...I want t-shirts and visors and flags from Sushi N Joy! Next time when I'm not so hungry, I'll take pictures to show the glory that is brought before you. Lots of extra food with the orders: I got the Mexican Roll which is spicy crab and avocado for $3.50. It's the normal eight pieces BUT they also put an extra heap of spicy crab on the side, this is perfect for sharing & it's only $3.50! yes! Also ordered the Heart Attack, think it was 8 bucks...very good and actually spicy! Some friends ordered the Tuna Nigirizushi, which is normally served with two strips of fish over two mounds of rice...but at Sushi N Joy that's elementary! Their plate comes out and it's two small mounds of rice with two huge, slabs of tuna on them and then another 3 huge slabs of tuna on top of that! It was truly amazing... The staff there is constantly working, providing great, fast service. They also brought us FREE edamame, FREE squid salad and FREE mochi balls for dessert!!! The atmosphere is casual and the location is unsuspecting. Fish is fresh & you get your money's worth fo show! ENJOY!

    (5)

  • Cj Y.

    The best sushi I've had in California since Japan. Its made the traditional way, very fresh and they don't skimp on the fish! new go to place for me

    (5)

  • Robert H.

    OVERALL: Small hole in the wall, ok service. Decent English. Fast delivery of food. Long wait for four person table. Sumo roll - small rolls ok taste, missing wow factor. Hawaiian roll- pretty good flavor, I love smoked salmon. Crunchy shrimp roll avo on the top? Nice touch. Needed more sauce. House special- teriyaki meat, rice, salad with some strawberry sauce and vegitables tempura About $50 overall price. Good place, will come back.

    (4)

  • Cristyn T.

    FULL from SUSHI?!?!? Who would've thought it was possible! The rolls here are gi-normous and cheap! They have a big selection of rolls here, but it's pretty much different combinations of the same 5 ingredients. I shared 3 rolls with one other person and we couldn't even finish! Is this the most authentic or best quality sushi? No. Will you get a lot for what you pay for? Yes! As an added bonus, they cut up pieces of mochi ice cream (probably bought next door at Trader Joe's) and serve it to you with your check!

    (4)

  • Sara D.

    Love this place! Have been coming here for years and it is the Best Sushi in town! The sushi is so good that it is the highlight: salmon, hamachi and albacore are the standouts. The rolls are excellent as well as creative but when you have such great sushi you don't have to venture out too far. Great relaxed family atmosphere, nice selection of Sakes, generous amounts of sushi in each order. The place is not fancy, you feel right at home. Seat at the sushi bar for the full experience!

    (5)

  • Joseph Y.

    Taste: 4.5 Value: 4.5 Service: 4 I heard about this place from the cashier at Costco (ask me the story sometime) who declared it the best all you can eat sushi in the Carlsbad area. I would agree. They have a flexible pricing format that charges you by the order if you're under the all you can eat price (~$28), and switches to the all you can eat price when you exceed the à la carte pricing. With several of our nigiris, the orders came with extra pieces of fish on top or on the side. This is a great bonus, and you definitely feel that the rice to seafood ratio is appropriate. The craftsmanship doesn't compare with Sushi Ota or Aki Hana, but the value is significant. The one advice I would have is to remodel the bathroom and to get new furnishing. Though it gives the place a mom and pop feel, these improvements would definitely add to the customer experience.

    (5)

  • Sam P.

    Fantastic sushi...great service...a hidden gem in Oceanside...by far, the best in north county

    (4)

  • Rosemarie d.

    Sad. I wanted to like this place... I really did. Here's the order run down: 1. Shrimp & vegetable tempura appetizer - tempura sauce was bland... so that wasn't very tasty 2. Heart attack roll - you'd expect this to be delish... it's a strange combination of cream cheese, shrimp, avocado and a jalapeno... plus it's fried. Kinda soggy. Didn't hit the spot 3. Soft shelled crab roll - soggy... no crisp... not good. 4. Spicy tuna hand roll - LOTS of tuna inside... not spicy at all 5. Salmon skin hand roll - This was actually pretty good.. This is the first time that i had a salmon skin hand roll with crab in it. Plus it had an avocado, the delish sauce and the salmon skin didn't take burnt (like I've had at other places). My favorite part - the piece of mochi at the end. Yelp review says it correctly, "I've had better." I'd only come back if I had no other option (hey... better than not wanting to come back AND not having another option, right?!)

    (2)

  • Mary H.

    I give this restaurant three stars and that is just for the sushi which was very tasty. We ordered three different rolls and some soup and a large beer. It is a very small restaurant and very loud and tables are very crowded if you don't sit at the bar. I would have given then higher but the service was horrible. Our waitress seemed to not speak english and she didn't know much about sushi either. We had to ask for small plates, napkins and we must have asked three times for an extra glass for the beer. My soup was not warm at all, I sent it back and got a nice hot bow.....must have been nuked. When she brought our first roll we asked which one is was and she actually mumbled words that made no sense.....how is the world can you hire a hispanic non english speaking person to wait tables in your restaurant and she obviously had no skills to being doing so in the first place. I witnessed another lady get up twice from her table to get small plates and napkins herself. After paying our 45.00 tab including a small tip we came to the conclusion it just was not worth the hassle to go out and try to have a nice dinner at this location and will not return. Part of eating out is the experience and it was just not enjoyable to have to ask over and over for items and to see others going through the same experience. Advice to the establishment hire someone that can speak english and knows about the sushi and makes sure they know the basics.......got tired of watching her run around with her head chopped off.

    (3)

  • James T.

    We come here often for take out. We don't eat in because the service isn't up to par, but the food is excellent. Their lobster roll is one of the best around. Price is fair for the food. They recently shrunk their menu, although that may just be for a few months (hope so!!). When eating there it feels cramped, especially when its above 50% occupancy. We see a lot of marines in here.

    (4)

  • Jorkin W.

    A typical sushi roll joint in a not so typical neighborhood - well, a neighborhood not known for its Japanese American population anyway. Because of this the majority of the sushi provided is fairly Americanized with rolls stuffed with mayonnaise, cream cheese, and other American flavor enhancers like oyster, clam, and eel sauces. We were greeted with enthusiasm, hailed with the typical "irasshaimase", and made our way to the Sushi bar. Unfortunately the sushi display case had a refrigeration issue and was devoid of any fish robbing us of any previews of the flesh. Anyway, I called out my first order for yellowtail sashimi and was immediately shot down with curious stares and sneers from the sushi chefs. I'm not sure if I mumbled "sashimi" or not, but I was asked, "you want sushi?" "No, I want sashimi", I replied and was again looked at like I didn't know what I was asking for. So I gave in and requested "sushi" but again was given some weird glares before everyone got back to making whatever it was they were making. My order was never acknowledged and if it hadn't have been for the hostess plopping the sushi order form in front of me I might have just left. Reviewing the sushi order form I noticed lots of rolls and good prices. There were no boxes to select sashimi, however, and the fish selection was rather limited. The $3.99 rolls were a good size at 6 pieces and were topped with extra fish (as others have mentioned). The rolls were good but were slathered and stuffed with sauces which appeal more to those who don't necessarily want to taste the fish. Each dish we ordered was plopped down in quick succession, one after the other, and many times before we had finished the previous plates... futher evidence of the American eating habits ruining a good sushi experience. Before we left I called out one last order (ama ebi - sweet shrimp), which was recognized, and brought to us a few moments later. The tails were topped with salmon roe which were a great addition to the sweet shrimp flesh.The heads, which were fried, were beautifully wrapped in rice paper and stuffed with various edible garnishes. This dish was very good and I highly recommend it over the rolls. Overall I'd say this is an average Americanized sushi joint that should appeal to the less adventurous eater or someone who absolutely loves rolls. I give it 3 stars - it got an extra in my evaluation due to the pricing.

    (3)

  • Kathe K.

    I shouldn't tell you how good this place is because then they will become super busy, raise their prices, and I won't be able to get a table. Seriously, if you want super good, cold, fresh, and tasty sushi you've got to come here. It's also very inexpensive as far as sushi goes. And, they always give you extra. My husband and I usually order two salmon sushi, a hamachi, and one lemon roll. And then we are stuffed. I don't like a lot of goop on my sushi and these items have been a mainstay for us at this place. One thing you should know though...my husband and I have nicknamed it "ugly sushi", because the rolls are not perfectly rolled and cut. If you are going to impress someone about the atmosphere or the area, or the perfectly cut sushi, don't go here. But if you are hungry and would like some good TASTING sushi, you can't go wrong.

    (5)

  • Rosa B.

    Went here last night for birthday sushi. It seems like the fish slices for the nigiri keep getting bigger and bigger. We indulged in some albacore which melted in our mouths. And the salmon...I swear, the fish was raised on croissants or something. So deliciously buttery and rich. I still lament the missing fresh jumbo scallops on the menu but the regular scallop nigiri (with a mayo-y type sauce n' some smelt roe) tides me over. Service last night was awesome.

    (4)

  • Liz K.

    Seriously huge pieces of very fresh fish! Loved the albacore and the rolls. Can't wait to go back.

    (4)

  • Angie O.

    Atmosphere - yuck, the place smelled funny to me. Service - not with a smile. Prices - you get what you pay for. You can tell they cut corners. Sushi - we had the lemon roll and the heart attack. Lemon roll was really good, the heart attack was soggy and fell apart. We also ordered sake which tasted watered down. I won't be going back.

    (2)

  • Brett G.

    Amazing! I honestly wish this place wasn't even on this site as it is a beautiful, secluded hide-out (or once was), and I've been avoiding even looking it up on yelp hoping that it wouldn't be rated. HANDS DOWN, BEST SUUUSH IN NORTH COUNTY.... ALL YOU CAN EAT IS BEST YOUR MONEY CAN PAY FOR!

    (5)

  • Mitch G.

    This is my new sushi place in Oceanside. Out of everything else I have tried, Sushi n Joy has the best prices, decent sushi, and a fun atsmosphere. The only thing lacking is service. It always takes forever to get refills, place orders, get the food... and it mystifies me because this isn't the largest place in the world. If you want decent sushi for decent prices, and don't mind waiting a while for everything, go here.

    (3)

  • Rza C.

    Orders go to the wrong table all the time. You might as well order for the strangers next to you. Be prepared to eat whatever they bring you. Food it great but service sucks. The owners were yelling at their workers in front of everyone. Poor management.

    (2)

  • Scott L.

    Very small, tasty sushi but the large, head sushi chef likes to yell at his workers. My date and I cringed when he did that and it interferred with our conversation at the sushi bar. Sorry to give this only 2 stars as the food was very good but the ambience was a zero. I would have elevated the rating to at least 4 stars had we not had to listen to the sushi master contiuously dress down his employees with loud, bellowing comments. It bordered on abusive.

    (2)

  • Meghan J.

    I don't get it. I guess most people are used to crap sushi and bad service? This place is not only dirty and unsanitary as there are tables right next to the bathrooms, but our server didn't even speak English. And I can't find a job serving? Really? I'll go to The Fish Joint, thanks!

    (1)

  • Chip F.

    This is a quality sushi bar. We have eaten here twice and both were very good. The fish was fresh and there was a lot of it. They always give you extra fish. I am always stuffed when I leave this place and my pocket still has cash in it. That is the way it should be.

    (4)

  • Sarah L.

    Okay, so, I started a Yelp account for the sole purpose of writing a review on this place. This happened to me and the BF a while back, but the horrible experience burns a hole into my memory. Anyway here goes...I wanted to do something nice for the BF since, he being from Hawaii, LOVES him some sushi, real sushi, the kind with the raw fish...you know? I don't eat seafood at all, and I thought by taking him here it would score some brownie points. I, unfortunately, found this place on Yelp. **[Disclaimer: Okay, I am not saying, that the other reviews on here are obsolete; but for whatever reason our experience here totally sucked a$$. Maybe the stars or the planets weren't properly aligned this particular night, I don't know. So no offense to the previous Yelpers who wrote good reviews.]** We go in, super crowded! To me this is always a good sign, obviously if it's crowded then that means it's good, right...?? The hostess sat us down, by the restroom...in the back, next to the shelves where they keep the extra plates. It smelled SOOOO f*cking bad! We asked to be seated elsewhere but unfortunately there were no other tables available. The waitress comes and takes our order, the BF orders sashimi, and whatever other raw stuff he always gets at sushi joints (ew); and I order some kind of chicken teriyaki bowl. The food, took forever, he finally gets his sashimi, and it's the sashimi combo plate, which he specifically tells the waitress he didn't want...he just wanted sashimi. Whatever, it's okay extra food. I wait, and wait, and wait....and wait......and......wait. My food still hasn't showed up! After longer than 20 minutes, I kid you not. We got our sake, our beers and his sashimi combo plate he didn't want, but my food....was MIA. I wave the waitress back to our table, and I simply ask..."Is my food done?" Waitress- "Your...'foo?' What? " (She was a Japanese lady who barely spoke English, so now I started to realize, that there was a major miscommunication!) Me- "Yes, I ordered Chicken Teriyaki...." Waitress turns around and leaves for a second, then comes back, with the menu, apologizes and asks me to go ahead and order. WTF, I ordered the same time HE ordered. I was mad, tipsy and starving. I ordered BEEF this time. It comes out like, a million years later. The food was actually not that great for the crap we had to endure, and HOLY CRAP our bill was over 50 bucks! The sashimi combo plate whatever that the BF didn't want in the first place ended up costing an arm, a leg, 2 shitty seats by the bathroom, a sad tipsy starving girlfriend, and a little (not crazy) argument on the way home. I really wish it were possible to give a place like Sushi N Joy zero stars. This was no happy ending, pun intended. So I really really was hoping this place would be a hit, but it was the opposite, on the bright side, it inspired me to open up a Yelp account.

    (1)

  • Sara A.

    FABULOUS! Eat here! if you are lucky enough to be in the area and craving an amazing sushi experience, Eat here! you will not be disappointed Generous portions of sushi. No... bountiful! Just an abundant amount of fish that you would never expect when ordering "one order" of (lets say) tuna or salmon or whatever. It's equivalent to other restaurants' idea of two (maybe three? maybe that's pushing it) orders of said fish. I think it depends on the day you go. Sometimes they just give you a whole freaking lot. And sometimes they have extra, and they are Not afraid to share, so you get tons! Either way, you're gonna be blown away. PLUS! They GIVE complementary edamame! And sometimes give you free squid salad if you have a bigger group. AMAZING! SO fresh. SO delicious. SO if you're reading this, your decision is made: you want Sushi N Joy (because who doesn't need more joy?)

    (5)

  • Shawn B.

    Yes, you get a lot of fish here. A. Lot. Of. Fish. I thought it was because I was with my neighbor who is a regular and who the sushi chef adores. But judging from the reviews here, it seems like huge chunks of ahi are the status quo. But their rice is too sweet and they put eel sauce on stuff without warning. Yuck. OTOH, their Chicken Karaage (fried chicken pieces) is out of this world good. Bottom line: Skip the rolls. Order sashimi, karaage, maybe nigiri.

    (3)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :5:00 pm - 9:3

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : No
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Dinner
    Parking : Private Lot
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Casual
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
    Outdoor Seating : No
    Wi-Fi : No
    Has TV : Yes
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : No

Sushi N Joy

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