I've come here twice already. First time I ordered their teriyaki chicken dish and it came with just a bowl of rice and a little bit of chicken. I asked where my side dish was and the waited told me the rice was the side dish. Big waste of $10 right there! Also not to mention the incredibly slow service. I didn't receive my dish until an hour later. Last night I went for my second time and this was worst than my first time! I tried something different. I ordered their tonkatsu ramen and I waited yes again... another full hour. If the bowl contained more food I would give my review a 3 star but the bowl really didn't contain much. Also the noodles were stuck together so it was probably packaged noodles. So in summary of last night's dinner, I paid close to $10 for a bowl of soup that I finished in 30 seconds and had to wait an hour for food. If you want to wait for a long time for less portions of food than McDonalds then go here.
(1)
Meg M.
Good food. Nice people. We go here pretty often... Best to go during happy hour to save a few bucks (sushi is always an expensive choice). my daughter loves her "sushi" and asks to go here all the time. She gets a teriyaki chicken roll wrapped in soy wrap... And sometimes two... She wants to upgrade to salmon teriyaki next time we go. Sit at the sushi bar and your kiddos will be entertained by the chefs :)
(4)
Mike W.
I came in at 5:40 and placed a to go order for 5 rolls......it's been 34 minutes and I'm still waiting....,why? People have ordered after me and they have their food. Probably because the Sushi chefs are too busy watching the football game. I don't care how good the sushi is when the customer service is horrible
(1)
Kevin L.
Delicious!
(5)
Mandy T.
Their sushi rolls are pretty standard. There is one waitress that's not that friendly and she always seems to have this passive attitude with me and they take literally 435 hours to make your food. Idk why but they do. So be prepared to wait a good hour.
(2)
Madison B.
Just go here, don't ask questions. Don't look for another joint nearby. There is a reason this place is always packed, it's really, really, really good. The sushi chefs are so fun and will make you whatever you want if its on the menu or not. The wait staff is a great time too, we love Friday nights and throwing back a few sake bombs. You can travel to midtown and go to the exciting social sushi spots where everything is deep fried and smothered in mayo or choose the real stuff at Sushi Cafe.
(5)
Patrick H.
Good place to go to get your sushi fix. The quality of the fish is decent and they also have pretty fresh oysters. Service is excellent. Manager also treated us to a round of sake bombs.
(4)
Bebe A.
Almost everything is good here. Decent food and price. Love coming here! Every visit is very satisfactory. I always get a bento box but The Happy Hour menu is definitely worth checking.
(5)
Karen C.
After saying to myself the last THREE TIMES I came here that I wouldn't go back--I did. For the last time. I ordered take out. I wanted the USA roll with the sauce on the side and with added lemon peel. I also ordered the Hot Summer roll with 'light jalapeno.' That's it. So I drank some sake while I waited for my order, sitting right at the sushi bar. I listened while the sushi chefs made fun of me for ordering light jalapeno. I pointed it out that I was sitting right there and could hear them. They were clearly embarrassed but did not apologize. I paid my $30 and went home. Sauce was all over my USA roll and no lemon peel. The Hot Summer roll was so fishy I couldn't eat it. So I paid $30 for a small hot sake and one roll. Will never ever go back.
(1)
Frankie P.
Ordering the right dishes really makes a difference in my rating of sushi cafe. I came here a few years ago and was really disappointed. However, I started coming here again a few months ago and keep coming back week after week for some very specific sushi. The seared tuna and the ponzi tuna on the appetizer menu is always fresh and delicious. The seared tuna is especially meaty and filling. The grilled asparagus is also very good with a touch of heat. I also like the rolls with tempura shrimp, avocado and cucumber. Really, this is all I get now when I come here. There smoked salmon is disappointing and not as fresh as it could be so I always avoid it. Also, all of their rolls come with sauce which is really mayoie for my taste so I ask to leave it off. Their crab rolls are fake crab sticks and spicy tuna is not the good fresh tuna but leftovers all mashed together, or tastes that way anyway, so I just avoid that too. It's not the best sushi I have ever had, but there are some real standout dishes here close to home for a fair price which I really enjoy.
(4)
Steph G.
The mutha 'effin OG... Haha...sorry, my pseudo-hoodrat came out. But this is the OG of the Sushi Cafe's and Sapporo... This place holds lots of memories. Memories of being 16 and killin' endless sake bombs at an alarming rate. This place has been here forever it seems, which is also the time span that I've revisited this little peculiar spot. In my small little bubble, Japanese food essentially revolves around how well a place can execute Katsu, preferably chicken, but I'll get down on the pork version too. The fried, breaded goodness that wraps the chicken is delectable, only to be dunked into a tangy, salty sauce that is amazing! Sushi Cafe does fairly well executing this dish. Not my favorite execution, but done okay. Their pork katsu came out looking nicer than my chicken, but the flavor was good. If you aren't a sauce person, ask for it on the side, otherwise they drizzle it on your entree. Being a rather lackluster sushi consumer, I tend to stick to the basics. I got the Land Park roll which is similar to the Fair Oaks roll, if you know Mikuni at all. It was good, simple and basic, just how I like my sushi. I know that everyone needs to be profitable, but I hate when places charge for rice. Seriously, build it into your pricing models of your food. Seeing a $1.50 charge for white rice infuriates the inner Asian in me. I like to think I'm not cheap, because I still order it when I know they will charge me, but a bag of rice costs $10 and it makes like 10 million bowls...no exaggeration or anything ;) Don't expect anything fancy. It's quirky and a little hidden gem on the overabundance of randomness on Freeport boulevard. Servers are kind and hustle, but its nothing to be notably happy about. A local, quirky spot that seems to be getting it right all these years!
(3)
Paul R.
November 20, 2013, Wed: Met up with my HPI Paranormal Hotline Operator Sara K. Sinh at this restaurant. She ordered the Pink Lady. I ordered pork, rice, sushi, chicken soup, toss salad. Kim who waited on us was very sweet and friendly. The atmosphere is lively. There are many people there at lunch time. I met Sara today, to pick up some extra copies of the Pocket News (in which I am featured) and later went to the Grocery Outlet in Greenhaven to meet up with the actual reporter Lance Armstrong to get some more copies. I had a pleasant lunch with Sara and look forward to doing this again, at the same restaurant, because the food is so scrumptious!!
(5)
James C.
Food is decent but the service is slow. The Alhambra location has much better service.
(3)
Celina M.
Their food is delicious. You can always come here and enjoy a good meal.
(4)
Maria H.
Discovered it on the way to car wash (Gem) last Saturday for lunch and we loved it so much that we had to go back the next day for dinner:) my boyfriend had fire and Freeport rolls, i had shrimp tempura roll and we both had bento boxes both days. They were all so good! We loved the Sake too lol! Definitely our new favorite Sushi place!!! And the service was so great!!!
(5)
Christopher L.
Food here is great! There is a big selection of food and the quality is really high. Staff is super friendly and they always check up on you, never leaving you hanging. Restaurant is moderately lit, not the brightest and over-all Floor space is moderate, not the largest. Great to take friends and families. There is also a Starbucks right across the street to unwind after all the delicious food.
(5)
amy b.
Miso ribs....crunchy roll..spicy edamame. .omg it's all so good and fair priced.happy hour is 3.30-5.25 weird time but good
(5)
Serena L.
Tasty sushi and totally worth the price. Each roll doesn't taste the same like the cheap 50% of each roll places do. Definately a hidden gem in Sacramento! Friendly staff that are willing to do sake bombs with you. Delish! :-)
(5)
L S.
Hidden gem! This place is absolutely delicious. I only go during dinner because the night chef knows his stuff. I am VERY pick about my sushi! And this place is it for me.
(5)
Joe L.
I always get the bento and I'm always happy when I do. The sushi is decent, but if you want them riceless wrapped with cucumber instead then it will cost you 3 dollars extra per roll. Other places do this without extra charge and no problems, but they said they could try doing it. It bothered me that they said they would try to do it and charge you extra for trying...
(3)
Annie S.
To me, the most important thing is fresh! We have ordered the oyster,sashimi, freeport rol, seared salmon salad, tonkonshu(?)ramen and uni nigiri. Everything was tasty, fresh and great! Ths waited we had was very attentive and friendly. Both my boys asked to come back. Menu has everything that will please everyone and great wine selection. Highly recommended! !
(5)
happy d.
We are long time fans of sushi cafe for its smart atmosphere, great service and the freshness and inventiveness of its sushi. We are so lucky to have this downtown type place out in the hinterlands of Land Park! Tonight for some reason did not fancy sushi ( but sig other did) ,so I ordered rib eye dinner for 13.50 instead- what a great value and great choice. The steak was perfectly done m rare, the sauce it was covered in was delectable as were the generous pile of crisp vegies which all arrived on an iron plate with a sizzling flash. As if that were not enough , the dish was accompanied by a combo baked / grilled/ sweet potato( I could have had fingerlings or rice() which was superb in itself. Thanks ,Sushi Cafe..you hit it out of the ball park one more time!
(5)
Laszlo M.
Love Happy Hour. FRESH FAST FRIENDLY SERVICE. Take out and bar seating available. Wait during dinner hour can be up to 30 min.
(4)
Rebekah C.
Came here last night for my birthday dinner with the parents. We didn't realize you couldn't use coupons with their happy hour. Was going to get sushi rolls but decided to all order bento boxes. Mum had mixed tempura and inari. Dad had pork and chicken katsu. I had saba shioyaki and chicken teriyaki. Each box came with two pieces of California roll, salad, rice, miso soup and an orange slice. The food was good but service was slow. Points for a nice bathroom, which was clean and didn't smell. HOWEVER, when I went to wash my hands and pushed the lever up(it was in the middle position, between hot and cold) I ended up scalding my hands. The water was so friggin hot! It wasn't even in the hot position, either. My skin was stinging the duration of dinner. My father pointed out the sushi chefs appeared to have small glasses of beer on the counter, which they sipped from between making sushi rolls. The girl next to us requested gluten free soy sauce which she was very excited to find they had. I've had better experiences in the past and am definitely willing to give it another try.
(3)
Tony M.
This place is wonderful! My wife loves sushi so we go out to sushi restaurants regularly. Then we bought a house in Land Park and decided to try the local sushi restaurant. I would typically get teriyaki chicken or something else that wasn't too exotic. I was extremely hesitant about eating raw fish because it just didn't appeal to me in the least. One of the sushi chefs finally convinced me to try something he made specifically for me. It was a typical sushi roll but he seared the tuna and that opened the door for me. Each time we went I would get a little more adventurous and now I can and will eat just about anything on the menu except for boring teriyaki chicken! I absolutely love the sushi here now and all the chefs are great. They know us fairly well now and take excellent care of us. That isn't to say they weren't friendly before they got to know us because they were awesome even before then. These guys got me to try and enjoy sushi and they will always be my favorite! Oh yeah, the food is outstanding!
(5)
Julie L.
During my mother's lunchtime, my mother would pick me up after a long day of Pre-Algebra and Social Science, and order the Freeport Roll. Now that I'm all grown up, I'm free to choose whichever rolls I want. I've tried a lot of their rolls. I'm still in love with their Freeport. The Paradise rolls (spicy scallop, snow crab, shrimp tempura, avocado, fresh white fish, whole roll tempura w/ masago, sauce) and MVR (spicy tuna, shrimp, cucumber, avocado, lemon, white tuna, japlepeno) are fantastic as well. I love their lunchtime Bento; It's a steal. The service is attentive and the atmosphere is lively. The chefs know what their serving and are so upbeat. I love it!
(5)
Samantha L.
Cheap prices and okay sushi. It's not spectacular, but it works. The happy hour prices are very fair, with rolls at $5 and yakitori (skewers) at $2. Draft beer is also available starting at $2. When my boyfriend and I visited Sushi Cafe on a Thursday around 5:00 p.m., the place was mostly full (people love happy hour). We were quickly seated and given menus. We asked for a happy hour menu because we didn't see anything about it in the regular menu. We ordered five $5 rolls: Crispy spicy unagi roll: I'm not a big fan of unagi, but my boyfriend liked it. Crispy unagi, jalepenos, cucumber. Land Park: shrimp tempura, snow crab and avocado; it was okay. Rainbow roll: this may be one of the better deals from the $5 list. Each piece had a large piece of sashimi on top. Spicy Cafe roll: another one of the larger rolls from the list. This was probably my favorite. It didn't taste spicy at all, but the shrimp tempura, snow crab, avocado and salmon were a nice combination. Crunchy roll: this was just okay. snow crab, shrimp tempura and avocado topped with tempura crumbs. Overall, the food is decent and the prices are fair (at happy hour). The waitresses are polite and were prompt with our water refills. It's not a fancy restaurant, but it tastes good enough when I'm craving some simple sushi. Notes: -It's located in a small strip mall which has a unidirectional flow of traffic through the parking lot. If someone goes the wrong way, it gets backed up. Usually parking isn't much of an issue though. -Happy hour 2:30-5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
(3)
Elaine H.
Honestly this is one of the best sushi restaurants in sacramento. I've searched high and low throughout sacramento for good quality sushi! Sushi cafe is an awesome place for happy hour or just a place to eat! All the workers are super friendly and treat you like family! The oysters are the best! Beware on Fridays it can get a little busy, so try to go a little earlier to get a seat. But best sushi in sacramento!
(5)
Jason C.
I watched a staff member drop a tempura shrimp on the floor, pick it up, put it back on the plate and deliver it to the table. Go to another sushi place in the area... There are several better than this.
(1)
Alyson M.
This place surprised me! The fish was super fresh and the cuts were generous! I will definitely be going back for more.
(4)
Justea B.
Our family LOVES this place. Nice variety, great atmosphere, good service and if I can get my 8 year old twins to pick this place over Chuck.E.Cheese - they must be doing something right! Bryant's Rainbow, Land Park Roll and Katsu Chicken are the go-to items, but the Tempura is wonderful, the Bento Boxes are another fav of my boys and they can eat Miso Soup, Sunimono and Edamame for days.... Good stuff!
(5)
Christina M.
Terrible service! Average Food. the food was decent but nothing special. My Fiancee and I were extremely disappointed with the service. Our waiter forgot about us and we had to flag down a waitress every time we needed something. His dinner was brought out about ten minutes before mine and we had to flag down a waitress to ask for it. It had apparently been sitting in the window for a while. We will never go here again, even though it's right down the street.
(1)
Yvonne N.
THANK YOU SUSHI CAFE FOR BEING OPEN ON NEW YEARS DAY!!!! After a night of drinking away 2009, I was really craving sushi! I didn't want Chinese food, Mexican food, American food, just SUSHI. We went to soooo many places, all were closed! And even if they were open for the day, they were closed between lunch and dinner and that happened to be the hour we decided to wake up and be hungry. -_- Lunch prices are pretty decent..bento boxes are around $7! Sushi was decent as well, not amazing but good. Sashimi might not be so fresh here. However, I'm giving them another star for incredibly good service and for having a little corner for big parties with their own flat screen TV. The boys really appreciated the access to the football game that day! =)
(4)
Veronica C.
I rate the sushi and bento boxes 4/5 stars. The sushi is fresh, tasty, and prepared with care. My 2 favorite rolls are the Land Park and the Marina! The teriyaki is great but the portions are pretty small for the price. I give the service a 3/5 stars. The place is pretty small so it gets crowded fast. When I dined in here a few times, I was waiting for at least 30 minutes to get a table and an additonal 30-45 minutes for the food. I pride myself on being a patient person but this place can put it to the test. If you have the option, I recommend taking the food to go. I call AT LEAST 20 minutes ahead of time before picking up the food and it is at the counter waiting for me. Overall, the sushi is great and is one of my favorite's but I always prefer eating to-go to avoid waiting when I could be eating.
(3)
Ted P.
Friendly staff, great ambiance, and awesome prices!!! Don't know why I haven't been frequenting this restaurant! Definitely throwing it in the repertoire from here on out.
(5)
Laura S.
Tried this place for lunch on a weekday. Nice quiet, cozy atmosphere, straightforward and easy to sort out menu. Quick, ultra polite service but not overbearing. Miso soup perfect, Wakame salad perfect (Mikuni, take a lesson from this place). I had the cold soba which I haven't had since I lived in Tokyo 20 years ago. Still so yummy. Sushi Cafe will become a regular neighborhood hang out for me, hai!
(5)
Whitney I.
The prices are good, the service is okay, but the fish quality could use some work.
(3)
Kimmy D.
Delicious!! I go there a lot and the food is high quality a little expensive but worth it! I like the double tuna roll or the Tuna Poki salad they have a good amount of high grade fish and the sauces and spices are just right! I also really like another roll that has spicy lobster in it with a tempura green onion and some other delicious ingredients that make it so well balanced!
(5)
Jesse R.
This is by far the BEST sushi place I have ever ate at. On certain occasions I wish Yelp had a 10 star rating for special places because this one would have it. Fresh fish ordered and it always comes out great. Friendly chefs & waitress' and now with the expanded seating area even better.
(5)
Jenny I.
Favorite sushi restaurant of all time! Happy hour is the best time to go. Staff is nice and friendly.
(4)
Kourtney B.
Came here for happy hour & was totally please with the selection, quality, & quantity of food provided. Beautiful & comfortable on the inside which went along with delicious food. I will definitely be making this a regular come to spot.
(5)
Charlotte M.
Mainly posting to let you know our credit card information was stolen here in March 2012, just found out they've been making online purchases for the last week totalling several thousand dollars. Too bad. We enjoyed this place, food was very good but we won't be going back.
(1)
Erica M.
Love this place, their service is great, it's small and unpretentious. The rolls are very tasty and the barbecue albacore tuna is delicious!
(5)
Thanh B.
I really like the set up of this place. The chairs are comfortable. My friends and I had a big table in the back closed in on 3 walls so it was very cozy. There was also a huge screen television where our seat was and they have a couple more throughout the whole restaurant. Their bento box prices are very reasonable considering how you get 2 items from the choices they provide and it comes with miso soup, salad, and california rolls. It was around $7.50 but my check came up to a little bit above $9 from tax and GRATUITY. (and just because their bento prices are reasonable does not mean everything else is because it isn't ; they do have happy hour though) **YES, they automatically include your tip money into the check. As for their choices for bento box, I felt like there wasn't many variety or some things were just too similar. They had a couple of fish dish which I absolutely would not eat. And they have a couple of teriyaki chicken. I was pretty stuck with which ones to order. On the bright side, they do provide brief descriptions underneath the food's name. I ended up with the Chicken Katsu and the Mixed Tempura. They provided us with a couple dish of the cucumber that comes as appetizer. I loved how it tasted here. It was a lot sweeter. The food took maybe ten minutes or more to come out, which isn't too bad at all. They were pretty busy the day we went. I really liked the salad dressing they had on. It looked like ranch, but it was a lot sweeter and a bit creamy. Their california rolls were great. They provided ginger and wasabi for it on the side. The mixed tempura was also good. It included broccoli, cucumber, carrot, shrimp, and an onion ring. But as for my chicken katsu, it only tasted okay. I thought it actually tasted a bit soggy, somehow. But overall, everything tasted pretty good along with my rice. I really can't complain much because the prices are reasonable. You get what you pay for and I felt like this was particularly true in this case. I'd still rather go a bit down the street to Broadway and eat at Hokkaido, but I'd definitely visit Sushi Cafe again and try something different the next time.
(3)
Nick G.
I'm pleasantly surprised with Sushi Cafe. Not much to look at from the exterior (I didn't even know it was there after living in the area for over a year) but a nice find, and I place I'll be frequenting from now on. Prices are a bit steep, service was a little rough, but the quality and quantity of the sushi is very good. We ordered a "small" plate of Sashimi, some tuna and Salmon Nigiri, a Double Tuna roll, and a chicken teriyaki meal for our little one (6 year old). The Nigiri was very well made, with large pieces of fish neatly placed on top. Though I did notice they don't use the sweetened rice which is the traditional way, they just used regular rice instead, and that worked just fine. The dinner plate of Sashimi, labeled "small" in the menu, had many large slices of the chef's choice of fish. I was very surprised by the slices of fish used in the Sashimi especially, but not just there, everything had very generous cuts of fish, which made for a very yummy dinner. And lastly, the Double Tuna roll was also delicious. The children's menu item was also impressive, chicken teriyaki served with a side of rice, some pot-stickers, and 2 slices of a California roll. My young one had no complaints. The only negative was the the wait. They seemed to have lots of help in the kitchen area, but things did not come out quickly at all. Also, the children's plate was brought out a good 15 minutes before everything else, so by the time our food was brought out, my son was just about finished eating. Poor planning on their part.
(4)
Collin W.
I think that this place is good for sushi however not the best in Sac. They do have a really good happy hour where it's half off all sushi rolls and they have $2 beers but not a big selection of beers. I don't know if I would come here for lunch or dinner. Maybe only for happy hour because of the prices.
(3)
Helen H.
I came here for happy hour. $5 select sushi rolls. I ordered the Godzilla and some other roll I don't remember the name of. When I got them I was totally disappointed, all you can see was rice. All I tasted was rice too. The sushi was comparable to ones you find at large buffets, generic. The other people I was with seemed to enjoy their sushi enough, so maybe I just didn't order the right ones. I doubt I will come back again to test that theory.
(2)
Nikki A.
Best service ever. I actually left the restaurant saying "Wow... I haven't received that good of service in a LOOOOOONG time..." and felt guilty for not thanking them more than three times before I left! We were seated right away at the bar (with a plate full of edamame- didn't even have to ask!) so we got to talk to the chef a lot. The dishes were beautiful pieces of art and the food was delicious (I don't even like sushi, and I enjoyed trying a few) .. but what made the night special was the attention and service we received from the staff. * Our chef presented our first dish with "extra thick cuts of fish, since it's your first time here!" -- and he wasn't kidding. He did NOT skimp on the portion size of the fish-- my boyfriend (all 6'6" of him) even thought it was a hefty portion! Delish! I've never seen sushi so thick and juicy! * The second dish was presented with a bit of humor-- a heart-shaped sauce display "for your girlfriend," he said attentively, knowing I would eat that right up (figuratively). So sweet :) * We had already been made to feel like special VIP guests at this point, but the chef came out of the kitchen with Mochi ice cream "on the house!" We devoured the free dessert and left completely satisfied, and in awe of the amazing service. He deserved his tip and we'll definitely be coming back for more! -Nikki
(5)
B H.
Went here for dinner tonight. When we arrived around 7ish, it wasn't so busy. We were seated right away, but for some reason we were ignored for a while. No water or cucumber dish for us. The waiter came by and asked us if we were ready to order. We had to order waters while everyone else was getting waters at their tables right when they sat down...strange... When the waiter finally arrived we ordered a "Love Boat." Not the best sushi I've had, but it was okay. The hubby ordered a beer and I an iced tea. The iced tea was okay. He enjoyed his beer. The service was mediocre. Hopefully this was just an off night since it's so close to home.
(3)
Cole T.
I like this place. It's pretty close to my house so I can fulfill my sushi craving practically anytime! The sashimi on the rolls seemed to be fresh and they put a lot. Sauces are tasty but similar at all sushi places. Freeport, rainbow, USA, tuna with avocado are all I've tried. All were good and as expected. The Rainbow and USA were my favorites. How can you not like tempura and soft shell crab? The tuna was yummy too; just a simple roll. I'll have to try this place during the day because whoever is rolling these things at the end of the night isn't very good. All of the rolls (except tuna), on two separate occasions, were falling apart. So that's 4 rolls that are hard to pick up or aren't cut all the way through in certain places and the seaweed pulls the piece next to it. This isn't necessarily a deal breaker more just annoyance. And until the day I get fed up with my sushi rolled sloppily I'll come back and probably back again. Haha, I'll put up with some abuse to eat some yummy sushi at good prices.
(3)
Joanie H.
Came here with my fiance on a Saturday night. Walked in and were seated pretty fast. The waitress came and asked if we would like something to drink so i asked for hot tea and water. After she came back with our drinks we placed our order. While waiting for our food i realized every table had a cucumber dish and we didn't! Our spicy tuna came and I have to say it was very bland and the rice is soggy! Then the fire roll came which was wrapped with foil and have fire around it. My goodness it tasted like fuel and flavorless. We had two more rolls i was hoping that it'll be good but it was flavorless!! I had to force myself to finish it! The bill came out to be $45 and I was generous enough to give them $5 for tip!! Oh I forgot to mention that tea cost 75 cents! I've never been to a sushi restaurant that charges for tea! All I have to say is this place is flavorless and don't waste your money!
(1)
Hilary C.
Sushi cafe is a really great place for Happy Hour! I think it ends at 5:15PM. Until then you can get $5 sushi rolls. They're a little small than the normal rolls one the menu but would leave an average woman full. They also offer small plates between $3 and $8. I tried the fried garlic c chicken for $3 and the ribs (you only get 3) for $5. Another thing they offer is skewers (vegetables and meat) for $2. The beer is $2.50 for a 16 oz. glass. Just make sure you get the before the official end of happy hour because they're sticklers and will not offer you a happy hour menu a minute later. If you're not there for the happy hour menu, their regular menu is quite extensive. If you eat shellfish, I'm sure it's VERY hard to decide on what you want. I can't eat it though, so I stick to chicken. They have really good, LARGE bento boxes with yummy karage and katsu chicken. The veggie tempura is amazing. I don't know how they do it but I wish I did. Overall, I would recommend this place to anyone, even people who don't eat fish.
(5)
Megan N.
mmmm. Take-out from Sushi Cafe was the first meal we ate in our house, so maybe I'm a little sentimental...but I love this place! It's a hotspot in my neighborhood and often busy for dinner, but it's worth the wait. Huge selection of rolls--I've liked every one that I've tried. E. doesn't eat fish, but he's always happy with his bowl of Oyako Don. The service has been hit or miss, but I've never been that annoyed with it.
(5)
Terence L.
this is the place to go, if you want great food and service. i love how it has a neighborhood feel to it.
(5)
Jon M.
Kimchi Ramen!
(5)
Casperde F.
Ok , seriously last time. This is a public service announcement. We have been here on and off for years. Live in the neighborhood and my wife no longer will come back because of past sickness issues. So today I bring a friend because "its been long enough let`s try it again" syndrome. Greeted by the remembered fishy smell(not good anywhere including Sprouts!!) See other reviews regarding food poisoning and the pork tonkatsu which is one of the things we had several of which just tasted weird. The proteins are obviously precooked when??? obviously too old and not hot when served. Got back and twenty minutes later pure water for an hour,cold sweats and my friend starts a half hour after that. I just took a break from this as my body is violently rejecting everything we just ate as we speak. please mister inspector spend some of our hard earned tax dollars and get in there and shut this hole down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(1)
Nga P.
I am a big critic when it comes to sushi because I have worked at a place before. The happy hour selection was great to choose from. $5 roll is a big bargain. I gave them 4-stars for the food. However, their service was super slow. They need to hire more staff, because after sitting there for 5 minutes, who I can assume is the boss, took our order. He didnt realize we were going to order quite a bit, so he told us to hold on while he went back to grab his note pad. Overall not a bad place to eat cheap sushi for its quality.
(3)
Lacy P.
LOVE THIS PLACE!!!!! great food and fair prices.
(5)
Jon K.
I went here for a lunch and left pleased. This place has been in business for ten years which to me means that they are doing something right. It was very cozy with lots of TV to watch football on. The staff was very very nice and seemed happy to be there. It was a nice atmosphere and the food was tasty and I had no complaints. I will be returning to this sushi place. I have been to a lot of different sushi places in Sac and this is now one of my favorites.
(5)
Mike K.
$5 happy hour rolls! Can't beat the value and atmosphere for a quick n delicious meal!
(5)
Vivian P.
Came here with my best friend for Happy Hour last week. It was very delicious - the prices at Happy Hour are EXTREMELY worth it :) We sat at the sushi bar and received great service. The fish was fresh and tasted delicious. For a non-AYCE it's very good and the value as great as well. The restaurant is small but intimate - we will definitely be back :) And next time i'm ready to try some ramen! :)
(5)
Jenny M.
I'm usually a fan of Sushi Cafe but I probably won't be coming back anymore. Let's start with the happy hour. The pepperfin is pretty good and for $6.50 it's ok. The giant bacon scallop was $5 and when j received the dish there was only one scallop on a skewer. I wanted to laugh cause I paid $5 for a scallop about a size of a quarter with a strip of bacon and it wasn't even good. The raw oysters here sucks, no flavor at all. Whatever special sauce it says it comes with tastes like nothing . I will stick with boiling crab or firehouse for my raw oysters now. Cheaper and way more tastier ! And not to mention their oysters are about the size of my thumb.. Grilled lettuce were good as usual just salty but that's fine. Marina roll is pretty good here . Every time I come I always ask for the fresh wasabi but it seems that they're always freaking out of it. And I was really craving uni but unfortunately they were out of that too... Pretty disappointed with sushi cafe right now .
(2)
Emily H.
Try the creamy magero roll! Yummm :)
(5)
Stacey N.
Sesame chicken is quite tasty and their tempura is lightly battered and not too oily. Can't beat getting their bento box (2 items) with rice, miso soup, California rolls (2 pieces), and salad for all under $10. Best deal ever!! For lunch it's like $8.
(4)
Natalie R.
By far one of the best sushi places.. Very kid friendly too... My son loves it as well... And you can't beat 1.50 sake bombs
(3)
Christine E.
If you up the ante on the service it would get all 5 stars! I come here a lot with family and the food is always good. Service is ok. It does get quite busy and parking can be limited because of the location (narrow strip shopping center). It can get loud but its the fact you have large tv monitors and you sit in close quarters to one another. Other than that its a great place for Japanese food! and very family friendly!
(4)
Mariah R.
Great date spot and good service, love the happy hour!
(4)
Nataliya C.
It's a very cute neighborhood place that is literally 2 minutes from my house so it's location is a bonus. The fish quality is very good and very fresh. The bad news is that the staff is not careful or well understanding of the food allergy. i am allergic to gluten and have let the waitress know about this as soon as we sat down. she 'appeared' knowledgeable about it and told me what rolls i can have that will be cooked without breading and that sauce would come on the side. They did have gluten free soy sauce. 2 rolls came and they were good. 3rd roll we ordered comes and it has seared ahi on top. I take a bit and realize as i am chewing that the ahi appears to be breaded call the waitress over and she says 'oh, i am sorry, i forgot about that, let me get you a new one'. At this point, it's too late for me. I am gonna get sick as i took a bite with bread crumbs in it. and most interesting part was that it was not removed from the check either. no manager came to apologize. it was a non-event.
(2)
Z R.
Food ok. Service subpar. Ordered a kid's lunch bento & they got the order wrong. Didn't want to send it back because who knows how long it would've taken to correct it. I ordered a two item lunch bento (teri salmon & honey crispy pork ribs). The food quality was good...portions small (salmon 1/3 size of my palm & two small ribs). Both were really yummy. I just wish there was more. Perhaps the dinner portions are bigger. Two others in my party said their food was okay. (One ordered sushi & said it was good fresh fish.) Once we got our food, we were never checked on. Hence, our beverages never got refilled. When one person at our table had a plate to clear away, they immediately returned with our check. Umm, I wanted dessert! Nevermind. 3 stars because of the service.
(3)
Rory L.
I've been here three times recently and have mostly been disappointed. The service is good, but the food is not the best. I ordered the spicy scallop nigiri, and they used cheap imitation scallop salad instead of fresh scallop. But the biggest problem is that the rolls all have way too much sauce, and it is very sweet. If that's your thing, enjoy, but I found that I couldn't really taste anything but sweet sauce. Not planning to go back.
(2)
Jason O.
Came here on the recommendation of our dog breeder, wasn't expecting much based on the location and decor. Everything we had was delicious. Our rolls were nice, the fish was fresh and the rolls were large and tasty. I also had a bowl of the udon which was delicious. They had gluten free soy sauce available which was nice, and the bill was very reasonable given that we ordered a ton of food. Sacramento may be a little cheaper than Silicon Valley, but this still felt like a terrific value to me. We'll be back.
(5)
Tina D.
Happy hour is from 2:30-5:25. Not sure on which days. My boyfriend and I come here for there happy hour special. They have the best pepperfin. I've tried it at other sushi restaurants but nowhere tops this place. The pepperfin literally melts in your mouth and the ponzu sauce makes it even better. We also like the sushi cafe roll and the chefs special roll. And they have Sapporo and blue moon on tap for $2.50 during HH.
(5)
Alyssa C.
If you have a gift certificate from Sushi Cafe, make sure that you check which location it's from. My family tried to use a gift certificate that we got for Christmas at the Freeport location last night, but it was not accepted because it apparently was only valid at the Alhambra location.
(1)
Chris W.
Pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. Very light fluffy shrimp tempura and good rolls. The shopping center it's housed in looks a little dated but don't let that stop you from checking this place out
(4)
Marlena P.
Happy hour was amazing! Order like 5 different (full size) rolls, Pepperfin, spicy ck skewers, and a bunch more. They're pretty busy so just be a little patient. Complimentary Mochi ice cream for our table. Price is cheap (during happy hour 5$ rolls).
(4)
Hydrogirl R.
We live in the neighborhood and eat here about 3 times year, but after last night experience, we wrote this place off. The restaurant was very dirty. The tables and booths were sticky and smelled sour, and the place just had a "dirty laundry" smell about. There were piles of dirty dishes very close to the food preparation area. The have added more tables so your siittng on top of one another, and depending where your seated, the waiter is crawling over you to serve others around you. The womens bathrooms was absolutely discusting, and my son reported to me that there were no paper towels or soap in the men's bathroom and the sink was "grody".........and these people are preparing your food! YUCK. Don't do it Sacramento! There are far better, cleaner sushi restaurants nearby.
(1)
Amanda R.
Sushi cafe on free port has the freshest fish ever! Chef Jeffrey makes the best nigiris ever! If you are a sushi lover, ask them for different variety of fishes !
(5)
Martha M.
Very disappointing....nobody would make eye contact with us...place wasnt that busy...but could tell they wanted nothing to do with us...2 tables got there orders taken before use they had just got there...and weve been waiting for 20 min....but wont be going back again. Sad cause it was a place near by ill just stay with arogotos. Where they actually smile at there guest an say hello. Sorry to have bothered u sushi cafe.
(1)
Summer M.
How did I miss out on Sushi Cafe for so long? Came here recently with a friend and it was fantastic. Cozy atmosphere, Very friendly staff, the sushi bar guys are hilarious, prompt service, reasonable prices, and the FOOD oh my Buddha the FOOD! We ordered a Hot Summer roll (don't I have to with this name?) and a Land Park roll. The Hot Summer (salmon, jalapeno, avocado, spicy tuna & scallop) was great- spicy but not too hot for a spice wimp like me. You could also dip it into the small inland sea of sriracha that is artistically poured onto the plate if you want it hot. But the Land Park (tempura shrimp, crab, avocado & masago) really blew me away. The taste was just exquisite. Finished the meal off with sake bombs poured by smiling sushi chefs, and bickity BAM! Now that's a dinner experience :)
(4)
Susan M.
They are always busy so plan accordingly. We usually get take out and are always satisfied. The Rainbow roll, double tuna, and the Eel roll are our favorites.
(4)
Angie L.
The food is good but the service sucks... They serve Asian people first and give them all the attention. That's bad business to treat other customers this way when we are paying too. I have been here many times. At first I thought it was just me but another friend said they experienced the same thing.
(2)
Diane G.
Definitely no mikuni but this place is so close to my house and always has good service and good sushi. Great spot for a quick casual dinner
(4)
Tom S.
Went here for lunch. I've heard lots of good things but I did not find that. We ordered two different rolls. The Rainbow Roll was good. The second roll - Alhambra or Freeport I do not recall, had some kind of sauce that looked and tasted like Ranch Dressing that wasn't good and overpowered any flavor from the roll. The place is very cramped. Used the WC. I had to walk around an occupied table that was uncomfortably close to the WC door. Service was just ok but the servers were jammed by the lunch rush. My friend wanted a Cantonese speaking server and they had one. I would not go back.
(2)
Dave C.
This is our local sushi restaurant and unfortunately it is just so-so. The sushi is of decent quality but nothing special or unique. The prices are too high for what you get. The service is sub-par. Their happy hour is from 2pm to 5:25pm, how strange is that. Went there last night for takeout and brought a two dollar off coupon, the coupon was expired by a couple of days and they refused to honor it. That act kind of boils down their entire business philosophy. Get the most profit and and provide as little as possible. Sacramento has some incredible sushi joints and I think I will be skipping this place in the future and give my money and support to a business that values its customers as much as its bottom line.
(1)
Jessica V.
Terrible Service. Everything we ordered was wrong. Felt bad for the one lady trying to make it better for us, she really deserved the tip.
(2)
Ronnie D.
Great customer service! Their plates were chipped around the edges. Their BBQ where dry their sauce was too overpowering maybe to make up for the dryness. They have a mosquito problem. The tempura was overcooked. Great venue!
(2)
amy m.
Let me preface that the wait here is stupid long, in a restaurant which was not extremely busy. Seated... Waited 10 min to get order taken, few minutes later our complimentary cucumber salad (tiny but appreciated) arrives... 5 minutes later we had to get up and get our own chopsticks and napkins, so that we can eat the salads. Our first sign this is heading south. Child meal comes after 20 mins... my son guiltily ate his bento lunch alone and tried not to finish before out lunch arrived. 15 minutes later our tiny Adult Bentos come out to the table...we both order tempura, but only my husbands comes out with dipping sauce, so we share. Flavor is good but a bit on the oily/soggy side. My daughters were not hungry so they ordered dessert to eat with us. Mochi ice cream which is pre-made (store bought) and virtually took no effort to make, other than slice them into quarters... This came out last which was by then a 50 minute wait. Now, I am a pretty patient person, and I like to give positive reviews. So I will end on a positive note. Rates are reasonable as is the food. But be prepared to wait a long time for average food.
(2)
Gioconda S.
My parents and I were one of the first families to eat at sushi cafe when it opened 12+ years ago, it has remained our favorite place since. Original sushi chefs and owner. We love them and dinner never lacks that comfortable extended family vibe. When I say sake you say bomb! Sake, bomb! Sake, bomb!
(5)
Sarah E.
A friend and I skipped class to come eat here for the happy hour lunch special. I ordered the rainbow roll, it was pretty good. It was $5. I also got the grilled shiitake mushroom on a stick for an extra $2. The employees were very friendly and we got all of our food within 10 minutes.
The service here varies between horrendous and okay. It's hit or miss, unfortunately. We always like the food, but sometimes we avoid going because we must plan on the possibility of being there for a really long time. I will say, the Yaki Ramen is to die for.
(3)
Mei W.
Freshness is not found here! I came here one afternoon with my hubby after work. I ordered their Pepperfin and Bryant's Rainbow Roll. My hubby ordered off the happy hour menu - fried chicken and squid skewers. The Pepperfin was okay. I've certainly had better at Taro's where it is a lot fresher. I felt like the fish was cut in slices that were too thick; it felt like a mouthful each bite! (But that's just me.) The fish on the Bryant's roll was also the same; not very fresh. The plate did look amazing! But unfortunately it tasted a little dry to me. It may be the fish not being fresh that threw off the taste? I did enjoy the sauce that complimented the rolls. The fried chicken on the other hand was not what we expected, lol. We thought they were going to be fried chicken wings with the bone in - but they were actually just popcorn chicken! My hubby did not enjoy their squid skewers at all, he took one bite and did not bother eating the rest. Service here is also a 1 star! After the lady served our food, that was the last we saw of her. We didn't get a refill on our drinks, not even once! We had to waive her down a few times for her to bring our check. Ah, we certainly won't be back for sushi at this place! If you want good sushi, I suggest you pay the extra bucks and eat at Taro's. That's the best sushi joint in Sacramento at least.
(1)
Shane T.
Seriously Sushi Cafe Yelper's get a grip. This place is cheap and that makes it OK. The food at best is mediocre. If you gave this five stars or more you were seriously hungry and on a budget. They do have some expensive rolls. I will never again buy the lobster roll for fifteen bucks. I've included a picture. It did have nice and neat presentation but I was hoping for more sizzle to the steak prices I paid for it. I live in the neighborhood so when I want inexpensive sushi I get my 5.00 off coupon from the local shopper ad's and me and the family head over. I've been here at least a dozen times and all I can say at best is it's OK. Nothing to rant or yelp about. Service is OK, not too bad or impressive. In fact when I think about my overall experiences here I'm hard pressed to recommend it. Overall its reaching to be just called an average experience. No hard feelings..Just not that great!
(2)
rosalinda f.
2 stars because the fried stuff, aka tempura is awesome. 1 star for the fresh stuff, like sushi, tastes fishy. The tekka roll was dark. The una kyu (unagi) was mealy. The BBQ tuna tastes like chicken but not in a good way. They have a ton of fish out so my theory is it gets old. Not sure why they don't buy less to maintain the quality. This used to be my favorite place. Although their shirts are adorable, I doubt I'll be back. Unfortunately, mikunis still has the freshest fish with tight rolls and consistent flavors.
(2)
Hieu N.
The sushi here is freaking delicious! Sure it's a bit pricey but they give you quite a lot. I come during happy hour so it would be cheaper. The Godzilla roll is absolutely amazing. The waiters and waitresses are nice but sometimes you could see them slacking off. I love the sauce that they put on the salad I wish I could just take a whole jar home lol
(4)
Victor M.
Their menu changed and looks like portions are now smaller. :(
(4)
Kellie G.
I've came here almost everytime I've wanted sushi. Usually get Shrimp Tempura, Miso Soup and the Land Park Roll. Its delicious!!! Every time I've went. There has never been a wait time, I've always been sat immediately. The tables are comfortable and sitting at the sushi bar is nice. I've never had a problem with anything I've gotten and everything is always fresh and hot. The waiters are good too, always checking to see if everything's ok, brings the check when finished. I've never had any problems with this place. I'll forever return. Lol I recommend this place to everyone!!
(5)
Davina C.
What can I say, food would do if I was starving to death. I ordered Bento box and soup. Our food took at least 25 min to come out. Service was the worst part of the whole experience. Nobody checked on me EVER. Had to flag down waiter to get refill and the place was empty besides me and 2 other tables. Definitely not Mukinis or even close.
(2)
Leslie A.
This is a cool little spot, right the corner from Sac City. I love coming here during happy hour, for 2 dollar drafts and $5.00 rolls, I can get full and not be broke after I leave! Good service, great food and nice decor!
(4)
Robert B.
Favorite sushi happy hour in the area, the prices are great at $5 a roll along with a decent selection of beer for a fair price.
(4)
Alex T.
uauslly come here for their happy hour sushi rolls and a beer. the bad thing about the beer is that its on tap. the sushi quality is usually pretty good. the service is ok and the price is affordable during happy hour. will be back when ever I crave sushi.
(3)
Elena L.
My friend chose to come here for her going away dinner. I really like sushi, so of course I was down to go. When we arrived we were seated right away and offered water. The waiters and waitresses seemed very attentive and were constantly refilling our cups, which was nice. I ordered a rainbow roll and was really underwhelmed. First of all, it took forever for the rolls to come out. By the time I got my order, the rest of the people in my dinner group were almost done with their food.The roll itself was really small for the price ($9.00) and the sashimi on it tasted like it was sitting out for a while. The inside filling tasted like straight up mayonnaise. Overall, it was a mess. The only good thing I ate from there was the complimentary strawberry gummy that came with the check.
(1)
Alex A.
The food here is standard, but the service needs major improvement. Arriving around 7 it took nearly 45 minutes for our dinner to arrive, and even then it was wrong as I had ordered the Teriyaki Chicken Bento box and got the Sesame Chicken. After mentioning it to the server, he took out his ticket book and looked back at us. With my guest hungry I accepted the order. No apology or mention of the mistake. Our Sake' was lukewarm, and even getting our appetizer (Wakame' salad) took over 30 minutes. The kitchen was packed with servers, and there were a lot of hands on deck. I was disappointed to see guests who had been sat after us receiving their food before us - same type of Bento box dinner. I'll have to be really out choices to go here again.
(2)
Kathy Y.
I originally wanted to go to Akebono (which I love) but saw Sushi Cafe and decided to give it a try. It's a small place and decor is contemporary. Servers were friendly and prompt; the sushi chef was even engaging in conversation with the patrons sitting at the bar. They give complimentary cucumber salad. I didn't see the poki salad on the menu so I asked the server instead, and they did have some, yay! The poki salad was good; the tuna was fresh and there was the right amount of sauce at the bottom of the bowl. I also had the veggie tempura, which was also very good. The tempura was not oily at all, with just the right amount of breading -- and the best part, it was warm when they brought it out! The Cafe Special roll was alright, nothing wrong with it. The size of the roll is average. I'm sad my camera on my phone is broken. It would have been nice to take some pictures of the dishes! Anyways, since I missed happy hour this time, I will definitely be coming back during happy hour --- only $5 rolls!! =)
(4)
sallianne m.
It all started one evening ages ago when, enjoying a nice dinner out, my daughter and I had the misfortune of sitting near a couple of extraordinarily rude patrons who were just brutalizing the sweet gal who was serving us. You know the type -- the kind that complains about everything, sends stuff back, asks to see the manager, and really all they want is to see how much they can get discounted from their meal. My girl and I were overcome with sympathy for the server, and after they left we told her not to worry. She was just perfect and the food was great and don't take it personally -- not that she was complaining -- she was way too professional for that -- but it was hard for us to stand by and watch folks subject others to such rude treatment, all in the name of saving a buck. After that, my girl started wanting to come here once a week, to see our server Corinne. We bonded. And now we're here either Tuesday or Wednesday each week, to be served Ross's special surprise, a side of sesame chicken, grilled asparagus, and some pepperfin. Plus a giant glass of Kendall Jackson chard and a Shirley Temple. And we sit wherever Corinne is serving. We love this place so hard, the food is great, the service is perfect, and we really love the people who work here.
(5)
My M.
I would give this place a one star; however, their food was semi-decent. I am knocking this place predominately for their customer service. Although there were about eight workers (waiters, waitresses, hostess, front counter folks, sushi chefs) who clearly saw us standing and waiting for a while, not a single person acknowledged our existence. I would understand if they were busy and it was jammed pack, but the place was empty on Labor Day. Once we were seated, our food came out at strange times. My salad came after my sushi dinner plate was delivered. Appetizers came out at the same time as dinner plate. Drink refills were scarce. I felt like our server was a robot. I don't expect someone to wait on us hand and feet, but come on! A little smile or kindness would suffice. Won't be returning here. What a shame...it's super close to my home too and may have been a regular spot.
(2)
Alec T.
This place is cheap, close to Land Park, and has good food. Those are it perks. Its a great place to come to get a bite of eat with your family, but I wouldn't take someone here on a date. The parking lot is small, and the inside it is very cluttered. Tables are jammed inside, patterned sheets cover the windows, and oscillating fans sit atop a desk by the door. They also brought out food with several minutes between the first and last dish, which is just uncomfortable. But that's enough of my griping. The servers were all very friendly. The menu was full of everything you could want. All the food was awesome and I'll be sure to return again.
(4)
Mike E.
Mikuni's lied to all off us! Sa never left sacramento and now he is here. Best sushi chef I have ever had and am happy to have him walking distance from my house. Sa salad and a roll of his choice is my order and I have never been disappointed
(5)
Margaret L.
I came here for happy hour, and it's odd but their happy hour ends at 5:25pm. I think service was mediocre during happy hour. I feel like they can get pretty busy. I enjoyed the food I ordered, I felt like it was definitely reasonable for the price. I got the dragon roll and pepper fin. The pepper fin was definitely on the spicier side, it had an enormous kick to it. Parking was easy, there was lot of parking but the parking lot only goes one direction so if you saw a parking spot you wanted but passed it. You'll have to loop around. I think I'll be coming back.
(4)
Noea P.
Reasonable price. Been here twice, ordered 4 different sushi rolls with my sister and never got disappointed. Discovered firedragon sushi here, I love it! Japanese ambience (of course. Lol) small but more than decent place. My go to sushi place in South Sac for now, it's really close to Sac City College xD
We eat here occasionally hoping for better service but each time it gets worse but after last Thursday ...we will never return! My little one and I stopped there for dinner on Tuesday night , I ordered chicken Katsu bowl but it was so awful!The chicken were not crispy at all but worst of all the waitress never came to check on us.When it was time to pay, I've left my wallet in my car .so I ask the waitress if I can go to my car to grab my wallet , I told her she can see my car from the restaurant...she said no but she can check with her manager. Omg! This place has the WORST customer service!lol
(1)
Jamie B.
Just ate here yesterday and got here around 4:30pm with being one of the 4 families. The waitress is great and it smells good. We order a salmon dinner, a chicken teriyaki bento box for kids, the sac roll, pink lady and the fire starter. So so good! Everything looked and tasted amazing. Will be coming again.
(4)
Steph G.
I mainly come here for Happy Hour which is Monday-Friday 2:30-5:30pm. $5 sushi rolls and other good, cheap appetizers. Service: - We were seated quickly and the table and seats were clean. - Waitress took our order quickly, asked if we were okay and came by to refill our water often. - Mom felt the food took a while to arrive but since I was home visiting, our long conversations passed the time. Food: - We ordered 2 Rainbow rolls, 1 Godzilla roll, 1 Chef's Special roll, 1 chicken skewer ($2) and 1 calamari skewer ($2). - Both rainbow rolls were tasty, the fish was cold and fresh - Godzilla roll tasted good with the avocado, cream cheese, crab and fried tempura surrounding it. Sauce was a good pairing with it. - Chef's special is good every time I get it. It's a fried sushi roll wrapped with seaweed, stuffed with cream cheese and salmon and topped with creamy sauce. - Chicken skewer was tender and had good teriyaki flavor - Calamari skewers were tasty and pretty good for only $2. I'm finally used to its tough texture. Ambience: - Dim inside but not too dark. They have a lighter section for those who want a window view! Overall: - Cute small sushi place convenient whenever I'm in Freeport. Happy Hour is always a great deal! Tips: - Try the Chef's Special roll on the HH menu! It's my favorite. Try that one or the Godzilla roll. Both are creamy and crunchy.
(4)
Abigail L.
I came here on a weeknight and the placed was packed. I haven't been here since high school and it seemed like they expanded the place which was nice. The service was good about taking our orders and refilling our water. I tried the hot dream roll which was pretty good but a tad overpriced for what it was. I also had a bite of the steak dinner entree which was perfectly cooked and had a great sear. I tried a bite of the ramen and I didn't care for the noodle consistency. All in all service was good, food was decent but a tad overprice. This place is close to my house so it is convenient.
(3)
Miss H.
I've been going here since I was in 4th or 5th grade. They helped me open my eyes to delicious Uni! They might be on the slightly expensive side of the "cheap" scale for prices but they make up for it in quality-- and they have a happy hour menu (which includes alcohol) Food is always fresh, fish is fresh, they have good sake and their staff is very friendly and very attentive. Because of all of this they are VERY busy and I understand if the staff gets overwhelmed and forgets a drink-- that's okay because once you bring it to their attention they make up for it completely and immediately get what was forgotten. Great place. Freeport Roll is delicious As is the deep fried quid
(5)
Krystle P.
They have great customer service! Owner and waiters are wonderful seafood is fresh! It does get crowded but it a great place also they get the food out to you ASAP.
(5)
Jade L.
Went during happy hour. Unimpressed. Pepper Fin tasted good, just a little on the salty side. (My friend said to cal it Salty Fin..womp-womp!) The rolls I ordered, were on a lean, falling apart. I'm quite skilled with chopsticks, so I was hardly deterred. Well, the Sunshine Roll (I mistakenly called it Rainbow Roll in my pics ) had cucumbers, which I normally like, but in this roll it created a slimy consistency with every bite. Like buying into an okra! Weird. The Hot Tiger Roll was really good. Really spicy (there's a tempura fried jalapeño in it) but pretty good! The service was slow. I saw on other reviews that during happy hour it seems like the norm. The price was great though....for the two rolls, pepper fin sashimi, and a bento box with both chicken and salmon in it, we left spending under $30. Not bad. Would I go again? Only if someone else made me and id rather pay a little more and love everything I eat..
(2)
JB Y.
Terrible. That sums up everything. Go to akebono it's the best hands down in Sacramento. Anyway so we decided to try something new because akebono was full. I warned my family this place has bad reviews.... But they still wanted to give it a shot. Well the ratings speak for itself because it did suck. First I ordered sesame chicken but it looked like katsu with five Sprinkles of sesame seeds. Wtf is that!? My dad ordered a spider roll but later found out it was missing the masago. Luckily they apologized and gave us a discount. Still would've been nice to know before ordering. We asked for a refill of hot tea and they gave us hot water lol. Everything is over priced for the quality and portion size they serve. Even their tap water taste unusually tappy. Save yourself some money and don't go here. You will be disappointed.
(1)
Rachel G.
I usually get a bento box, sesame or teriyaki chicken but everything its actually really tasty. Always busy with all the locals in the neighborhood. $1 saki bombs so we always hit that up. Fresh sushi, get some spicy edameme and a Kirin Ichiban and catch a Kings game. Nice decor and ambience always friendly service.
(5)
Simone A.
Very inexpensive but you get what you pay for. I got the California roll which was made with a very unripe avocado, and the land park which was pretty nasty. I would definitely not come back again. I got a to go order and when I got home I realized there was a rubber band in the toppings of one of my rolls.
(1)
Jewls A.
I like sushi cafe specially during lunch time. Food is good, prices are good. They have many choices of food from soups, sushi, bento box.
(4)
Steph M.
One of my most favorite places to visit when I'm craving sushi! Service is always superb and they try to seat everyone as quickly as possible even though the restaurant itself is quite dainty. My favorite dishes include the albacore Pepperfin, tuna sashimi platter, bento box with chicken teriyaki and beef teriyaki, lamb chops (seasonal item), croquettes, and the uni and quail egg! The sushi is always fresh and everything is decently priced. If you're on a budget I suggest going during lunch or happy hour!
(5)
Grace B.
We were a party of 5. What a cool place. My friends and I tried this place right before class because we wanted to try it out. We always passed by on freeport and we just had to try it. We were attracted to the $5.00 sushi rolls happy hour. That was one of the reasons why we walked in. ENVIRONMENT The place looked slightly dimmed. The warm colored walls and the seats were very cooshy and soft. Very comfortable! FOOD I know I said earlier that we were attracted to the sushi rolls, but I couldn't pass up to try their TAN TAN MEN noodle soup. That was what I ordered. My friends ordered rolls and they couldnt finish it. So I tried tasting those too. TAN TAN MEN - To me it had a deep flavor. It is pretty unique from other restaurants in Sacramento that do make it. It was very delicious. I had to eat it really fast because class was going to start within that 30 min period when my food arrived to the table. Slightly spicy. I ordered it this way because I knew I had to woof it down because of class. I dont think I couldve eaten that quickly if it was SUPER spicy. But I loved my tan tan men. GODZILLA ROLL - That was the name of the roll that I remembered. Easy to remember the name but I really enjoyed it a lot. The other rolls, I didnt remember the names but one was crunchy and the other had a spicy kick. Overall I enjoyed all the rolls that was ordered. It was super delicious. GRIPE Okay it was a great restaurant. The only gripe I had was that it took 25 min to prepare our food. I was rushing back to class. But it could also be our fault because I told the waitress to make sure my soup was done the same time as the sushi rolls so that we can eat at the same time. That could be why. So no problem! Not taking away any stars. TRY AGAIN? Yes I will definitely try again. I enjoyed the food. I wanna try their other stuff too.
(5)
Christian C.
A little crammed inside, but what sushi place isn't? I went here around a month ago so I can't remember specifically what I ordered. During happy hour is when you really want to go, especially for your wallet. The family had a couple sushi rolls, chicken on a stick?, oyster shots and sesame chicken and ramen noodle bowl. Everything tastes really good. No complaints at all. Had to give this 4 stars because of so many sushi places I've been to and 5 stars means you are over the top in my book. I would definitely go here again. They had great customer service when we came here, which is good. Judging from other reviews , good customer service is inconsistent here. Overall, just a very solid sushi place to go to.
(4)
Olivia G.
One the best sushi restaurants in the area. Unlike most sushi places I've been to, this one uses real crab meat and not the imitation stuff. My favorites are Bryant's Rainbow roll, Dream roll and Cafe Special roll. Definitely must try the shrimp tempura; the batter is so light and flaky! One star off for the service- it can be slow at times.
(4)
Remi R.
Best place near my house. Ross the sushi chef is a genius. I do not even look at the menu when I am visiting. I let him take charge and he never disappoints. My seven year old daughter loves the rolls and the salads he makes specially for her. Great place for launch, dates, special events, or just to keep up with the diet!!!!
(5)
Jacobi M.
ok So I was looking for a sushi spot for a first date in this area and this place and akebono and this place kept popping up as the main two. accession has slightly better reviews so i chose that spot first. We got there and it was incredibly crowded which i know means theyre good but I hate big crowds and wait lists. So we headed up the road to sushi cafe. It was quiet, clean and had a great atmosphere. I ordered the rainbow and several others. Sorry i can't remember the names of most rolls. everything was good and the service was fine. Not amazing but fine. I would come here again with no problem. side note after I saw it it turns out I had been to akebono several years before. Their sushi might be more plain- that is with less sauces but maybe it was just what I ordered. basically since I know most people will compare these two, I would say that they're both good and unless you are a sushi snob - and i'm sure there's plenty- you'll be fine with either one but I would rather have a quiet atmosphere so i would choose sushi cafe.
(3)
Gina H.
This place has the worst damn service anyone can think of. My 5 sushi rolls look like it was jus TOSSED on there. We ordered sushi & didn't finished it. A rude waitress, she has glasses about 5'2, rung me up & said " just so you know, when you come back, I can't let you take the sushi home. " Along with that they took so long to make it, when I kindly asked her if it was being prepared she said to me " you need to wait there is only one guy making the sushi." She said it so rude. When I asked for the number to her manager she told me that she didn't have it! I was so furious. I paid for it & left. They have such rude service. Never going again. Not even one damn star if I damn could.
(1)
Lola C.
Today I was eating lunch around 1:30pm. It was pretty busy. There were only 2 servers on the floor running around. I still got my food on time. I ordered a bento with salmon teriyaki and mixed tempura! It was so delectable. The salmon was moist and fresh. Since there was a lunch rush, the servers were still efficient on checking on their guests. I noticed there was a big commotion with a customer. She was seated in the far back with her family for a couple of minutes. Next thing you know, she went crazy on the servers. She was impatient and used profanity. It stunned the whole restaurant. Obviously she came in the wrong restaurant, this isn't fast food. If she was on a timely schedule, she shouldn't be dining there in the first place. The servers were professional and did their best to continue on with their tasks. This is my 8th time dining at sushi cafe. I always had excellent service! Good food and selections.
(5)
Sherry L.
Delicous, came here during lunch hours (11am - 3:30pm). I ordered a Bento box for $7.95, which comes with califronia roll (two pieces), spring mix salad, miso soup, rice and your choice of 2 items. I picked the sesame chicken and the chicken katsu--both pretty good, nice and crispy. The sesame chicken was also deep fried. I like the mix salad, it's in a creamy dressing, I'm not sure what but likely has mayo in it. The miso soup was nice and hot, but it's a little salty to me but that's just me. I like the Sac State roll (11.95), gently spicy and tasty. ^_^ Overall, a nice experience eating here! ^_^
(5)
Alex H.
Decent take-out experience. The special rolls are pretty typical but a few are more interesting. Really liked the creamy masago roll but the MVR was disappointing; no evidence of lemon anywhere, and the spicy sauce (sriracha mayo?) didn't work. The SF giant was pretty good, but no tobiko? Maybe their online menu is not correct? It's the kind of sushi place with lots of "special" rolls with the kitchen sink, tempura-fried and sauced. Great if that's what you're going for. Limited selection of simpler rolls, the nigiri and sashimi options are standard. If I lived in the neighborhood it'd be a nice place to stop by once in a while but there are better options not far away if you're getting in the car anyway. The reviewer who said it's the closest sushi place to the Pocket must be high, by the way. Banzai is right in the middle of the Pocket and Akebono is on the way... That doesn't really mean anything about the quality of Sushi Cafe but I had to point it out. Unless you live at The Westin right at the northernmost tip of _little_ Pocket, there's no way this is closest.
(3)
Mai S.
I'm so disappointed. I've been eating here for 2years. This time all the rolls were soggy. The rice keeps falling apart and the Avocado on the roll looks old. The Abacore was overly cooked. Food service is super slow, there was only 3 tables in the morning but servers are slow and keeps forgetting utensil. I had big disappointment.
(2)
Cristian G.
First time eating sushi and had a overall good experience. Went with a large group of friends, we were seated surprisingly quick even with nine people, and I could say we had a very good time. The food looked and tasted delicious and the prices were reasonable. The wait time for our food wasn't to long (depending what you get) and my Chefs Choice took longer than expected to arrive, but it was well worth the wait once it did. We will be returning again hopefully very soon.
(4)
Keeley A.
This is a reluctant 4 star review. Sushi Cafe is pretty good - but there's room for improvement. I think they get the 4th star for having a well-priced happy hour. I had a Fat Tire beer for $2.50. That's hard to beat. My husband and I have been here just once, though I'm sure we'll go again. He's vegan, and the Happy Hour has no Veggie rolls, but he made do. I had the pepperfin, because of all of the raves on Yelp, and I have to say I just don't get what is the big deal. It was okay, but I wouldn't order it again. A little bland, though the jalapeno pepper slices were nice. The chicken skewers for $2.00 Happy Hour price was a good deal. The veggie skewers were smaller and at the same price, which seemed odd. They were okay. The veggie roll, with tempura yam and aspargus was yummy. Edamame is complimentary, which is really nice, but I don't understand why places serve it cold. Edamame should be salted and served warm. Yum, We enjoyed the dinner enough to come back a few times and try some different options. I like the ambiance, it's close to our neighborhood and the people working there are nice. If I can find some gems on the menu, I would consider being a regular. There would have to be many more vegan options to charm my husband, however. Honestly, we have found no great sushi places in Sacramento. But, we're happy to keep looking.
(4)
Tiffany N.
I came by to catch happy hour last Friday with my co-worker and I was a bit underwhelmed. We got there right out of work and were in the restaurant by 2:23. Their happy hour starts at 2:30, but I wasn't planning on ordering anything off the regular menu so we asked for the happy hour menu. The waitress proclaims "Uh, is it 2:30 yet?" I said no, but I would like to look. Apparently she did not want me to look at the menu earlier than 2:30 because she pretty much slammed the menus down on the table. They have $5 rolls, $2 skewers, $2.50 beers and assorted appetizers for various prizes. I got the Spicy Cafe Roll and the Sunshine roll. My coworker got the tiger roll, the pepperfin, the fried chicken. We got the chicken first, which my coworker said was just okay. Then we got our pepperfin and the Spicy Cafe Roll (SCR). The SCR was pretty amazing. It had the perfect amount of spice and sauce and just everything. And I was surpised by how large the roll was. I was expecting half a roll or even less. My coworker's roll came out and I was stuck waiting for my last one for a while. I think it took about 15 minuts AFTER I was done with my first roll. The Sunshine is nothing spectacular. It was overly sweet and it took me a while to find out that the "smoked" scalloped must've been drenched in syrup or something because it was overwhemingly sweet. After halfway through, my coworker ordered the Godzilla roll which took about 30 minutes to come out. I'm not sure if it was because we went during happy hour or if happy hour items are deliberately slowly made but I think I'll stick to normal dining times.
(3)
Kenji L.
One of the better places in Sacramento to get decent cheap Japanese food. I normally visit Sushi Cafe for lunch and I get a lunch bento which is a selection of two dishes from a list provided, salad, rice, and a California roll all for under $10. Personally I would recommend the teriyaki steak (+$1) which is essentially beef teriyaki but made with a better cut of beef then most places. I would not recommend however the tempura here because it tends to be over battered which ruins the whole integrity of the dish. Of ordering a type of cats also remember to ask for the sauce on the side or else the batter on the cats may get soggy (because they put it on top). Service is pretty good but parking may be a hassle because the lot is quite tight and small.
(3)
Albert F.
It was poor service like it's Bad when the sushi chef has to give you a table cus the waiters won't, idk if I had a bad experience here or whatever but I asked for a water and they didn't have any ice and I asked to get some with ice I never got a cold ice water so I'm like okay it's fine I look around it looks like nobody is getting any type of service man this was horrible ! And when I tried to order something off the menu on the happy hour it was like we don't have that or out of stock ok it made me pretty mad worst sushi place ever
(1)
Meg M.
Great place and very nice people. This is my daughter's favorite place to eat close to home. They have great Happy Hour specials.
(5)
Lynn H.
Rolls here are OK as usual but this a review for the hot noodle soups! I had tasty tempura with mine. Noodles seemed fresh and everyone else at the table seems to enjoy their noodles plus soup. Perfect for a cold day. Both the ramen and udon were great.
(4)
Scott F.
Had lunch here with my family the other day. I understand things get crazy when busy, but I still expect at least water and menus within seconds, not 15 minutes after being seated. They have a very menu, including a lot of sushi rolls to choose from. My family got different bento boxes which they enjoyed from being hungry, but none really raving about it. My mom really liked her ramen which they did not make spicy upon her request. My spicy tuna hand roll was bigger than I expected, and the katsu donburi was good, but not a lot of egg, not a lot of katsu, and too much rice. Service was doing the best the could for being so busy, but they were clearly understaffed. I don't think they were expected a full restaurant for a Monday afternoon. Parking lot is small, since they are in a strip mall. Don't let that deter you, Sushi Cafe does a pretty good job, but I like the other location on Alahambra more as they seem to execute everything better.
(3)
Flix N.
I want to like this place. it's in my neighborhood and super convenient. unfortunately the service is consistently bad. really bad. the rolls i've ordered have not been good. in fact one called the 'firestarter' was downright vile. ok maybe not vile but soggy and gross. i think the quality of the fish itself is just fine. they often run out of items, including those listed on the specials board. on one visit they didn't have any hot sake. seriously? our last three visits have been a disappointment, we've decided to stop eating here.
(2)
Tony B.
Great sushi place, with some basic and different rolls. Has a homey feel inside. 1.50 saki bombs oh yeah
(4)
Nancy V.
First time here, the wait was decent even though it was packed. The atmosphere was awesome, very family friendly and cozy. Took my girlfriend here for her bday and we got hooked up. Free appetizer, free dessert, and saki bombs. Chef Steve was awesome. He made us comfortable, fast and friendly service, definitely coming back even wo the free perks.
(5)
Bill C.
I've been to Sushi Cafe about 100 times and have not once had a bad meal. The rolls taste fresh and original. The service has always been excellent. This is my go-to sushi place. I've tried just about every other sushi place in the area but none have ever served me a better meal. This location is fairly small and can get crowded during prime times. The location on Alhambra is a bit bigger and from what I can tell serves pretty much the same stuff. You can't go wrong here. I love it, my wife loves it, and my 10 year old has probably set the record for the most eel consumed in one sitting.
(5)
Granja S.
Food is good for the price. Only problem for me are two female waitress. This restaurant is close to school so we come here often for lunch. First few visit our waitress seemed irritated with us that we wanted separate checks. Another time my friend wanted her edamame warmed up and even that was too much to ask. My recent visit, I wanted to order a bento box to go, but was somewhat flustered on what I wanted as my main dish. The waitress that was taking my order seemed irritated with that. While waiting for our food, I asked a second waitress if I could get some water to go and then my friends wanted some as well. The restaurant was getting busier and after I asked her for water, she responded with "okay how many of you want water? It's getting busy and I don't want to keep going back and forth." Then I finally got my food and asked for a side of the spicy rooster sauce (saracha) to go. My friend also wanted some sauce to go too and the same waitress said the same thing that it was getting busy and she didn't want to keep going back and forth. Seriously, we are your customers too, and they should be more professional even in busy situations. Only reason I go here this often is because it's the only sushi place that is walking distance from school. Will not be coming back after school ends.
(2)
Samantha B.
Sushi Cafe is one of the first places I discovered when I moved to Sacramento, and I would definitely recommend it. The happy hour is always a great deal, a large selection of rolls for $5 each and a few little skewers of veggies or meat for around $2 (the happy hour here and at the Alhambra location include different rolls). If you love fish and sashimi they have one of the greatest chirashis around. I think it's $14.95 and it's a bowl of sushi rice with assorted sashimi on top. The selections always really nice and fresh, and it always looks really pretty. My one warning is the service usually isn't the best, they always seem to be one waitress short. The food is good and reasonable, and hey even if you do have to ask for your water a few times everything else is still worth it.
(4)
D M.
About a year ago,I had read the great reviews about the sushi cafe and couldn't wait to try it. I took my family there and it was packed. We waited nearly two hours for our order after we were seated. When we were finally served, they had lost my order. I told them to forget my order and I nibbled off of everyone else's order. They apologized and gave me a discount on my next meal. The food was very good. I've returned several times since. The food is still very good, but their service sucks. The waiters are poorly trained. They charge you $2.25 for ice tea and they never bring you refills unless you can find a waiter. When you finish, it takes 10 to 20 minutes to get your bill unless you can find a waiter. After you pay your bill, it takes another 10 to 20 minutes to get your change. I still eat there,but my family refuses to join me. My oldest daughter went there with her husband and dropped her napkin. When she bent over to pick it up, it was covered with cockroaches.
(2)
Lien C.
Our friend recommended this place; went there for the first time today. The decoration was pretty nice but its a pretty small sushi restaurant. I was not impress with the services at all. They serve us our main course before the appetizer. Then it took then a good 15 minutes before my boyfriend get his bento box, by that time I was already done with my sushi roll. No fun to have him watch me eat and I watch him eat afterwards. SO ROMANTIC..NOT!!! The table next to us from my point of view has the worst experience. They came in and order at the same time as us. It took the waitress more than 20 minutes to let one of the lady know the kitchen is out of stock on the item she ordered. By the time she got her food, the rest of her parties was done eating. The food was "meh". I've had better sushi experience else where with better services. The rice on the sushi roll was pretty mushy. I won't be going back to this place or recommending it to anyone. My friend however had a good experience, it might just be a hit or miss deal. Go at your own risk.
(2)
Michael K.
Food's ok, there are better places but we come here sometimes for convenience. I usually get ramen, although it's super oily. This time I tried the Kim Chi ramen, and it is also ok. I don't know what it's supposed to be like but I was surprised by a large variety of mushrooms and a lot of sweet pickled radish. The Kim Chi was medium/mild. Food: 2.5/5. Service: 4/5. Value: 2.5/5.
(3)
Nichole V.
I ended here because I bough a Coupon for the wrong location accidentally. I wasn't worried because the other location is so amazing I thought I. Can't be that much worse. I was wrong! The place is a bit run down on the inside (or at least looks it). The drinks were flat. The appetizer was cold. There was only one vegetarian option. I ordered the vegetarian #1 which was ok but had very little flavor. The person I was with ordered the Freeport roll and didn't like it much either. They would not let us use a coupon off the iPhone and took forever to give us the check. The girl that waited on us was very nice, but the lady that we brought the check to was extremely rude. I will not go here again and recommend that you just go the distance to the other location. You won regret it.
(1)
Matthew L.
Decent prices for lunch. I had a katsu-don, but I found it on t he mediocre side. It really lacked character for the dish. The sushi tasted really fresh and was quite decent. Maybe ill try a lunch special next time.
(4)
Ross p.
Yep.Love it.Do the sake bomb and seafood salad.
(4)
Raych C.
Get the Supra Roll!
(5)
Bill K.
Have been to lots of Japanese restaurants and this is on of our favorite. Sashimi is very fresh. Our only complaint is the fact that it is extremely popular so we try to go at off times. Hard to fault them for that......
(5)
Jennifer G.
Sat at the sushi bar and had a great time looking at the chefs turn sushi into art. Truly amazing. Food was awesome. Everything was super fresh. Service was great. I definitely look forward to eating there again.
(5)
M W.
I live close so I decided to come here with my parents. Currently we're all waiting for our food. It's probably been about 30 mins. Everyone is running around like chickens with their heads cut off. This place is small and they're pretty busy.. But we didn't even receive a greeting upon arrival. I just got my food, but my parents haven't yet. What a disappointment. People who got seated right before us are leaving already. Customer service is a big thing for me... Safe to say not coming back here again.
(2)
Jess C.
Sushi is the same caliber as Sushi Arigato. Sushi is double the price of Sushi Arigato.
(2)
Cat C.
Sushi Cafe is our local spot in our Sacramento hood (Old Curtis Park-Oak Park border), and we will miss it dearly when we move to Ione in a few short weeks. Sushi Cafe, our go-to joint, replaced our former go-to, Arigato's, after they totally ruined the place and turned it into a more nightclub feel. Ugh. But enough: back to Sushi Cafe. The waitresses are usually only okay, seating you quickly, and than ignoring you until you make eye-contract or flag them down, especially when seated at the bar, where we usually choose to sit. The chefs are great. Fast, efficient, and bantering with the guests. Worth a couple of dollars in the tip/fishbowl. The place is unpretentious and comfortable. The food is good. Not fancy, not the best sushi I have ever had, but consistent and GOOD. They will often have specials on the board, even some seasonal fish. Just last week: wild sockeye salmon nigiri. SO fresh, SO good. Just melted away. And a new roll on the board: the Fire Dragon. We didn't order it, but watched several made for other patrons while we were there; a roll wrapped in foil set on a plate with a shallow puddle of alcohol (Bacardi?) underneath that is then set on fire and served to the table. Who doesn't like flambe?! (Except insurance adjusters) The sushi chef was kind enough to offer each of us a slice of the roll, which was slightly warmed on the bottom, and deliciously fresh on top. Pretty good, and we might order one next week. To all you haters: Sushi Cafe is a fresh, decent local joint without the Mikuni-esque cover up of dim lighting, bad loud music, and heavy sauces. Love Sushi Cafe for what it is: good sushi for a decent price.
(4)
Toko M.
If I had to choose between going to this sushi place, or the Togo's next door... I most likely would choose the Togo's more often. It's not that this place is bad, but (compared to some other Japanese restaurants I've been to) it aint nothin' great either. Would I go here again? Probably not. I agree with what some other yelper said, that this is just your "typical neighborhood hole in the wall sushi place." (Not saying their all bad; some of them can be quite good) The food I ordered here was prepared okay, (not great, but decent enough) but what disappointed me though- was the skimpy proportions that they give you! Not much sushi, or bento items! I would've gotten more food to eat at some other, undisclosed, Japanese food restaurants, which also would've charged me LESS than the $8.00 bucks I paid for dinner. This place, may be a little bit of a rip-off. (And lacking in authenticity too) The interior of the restaurant was nice and clean, and the service seemed good, but I was getting a little annoyed by the lighting / plasma TVs / music blaring... to me it was just a bit much, but maybe it was just me. Some people like to "party" when they go out... but me, I just wanna eat. I took away two stars for the slightly overpriced food, and skimpy proportions. (I'm sorry guys but you can't make up for it by giving people a mountain of rice). Ganbatte ne.
(3)
Megan-Bria B.
Awesome, welcoming staff. Fun ambiance. Fantastic rolls. Yummy miso soup. Strangely arousing (jk) shiny gold walls. Yup...for being a Mikuni snob this place really is A-OK in my book. I'm still wondering why they listed soda, and then "carbonated beverage" on their drink menu. Can anyone answer that for me? Perhaps one of life's greatest mysteries...
(3)
Maryjane M.
Amazing sushi! I can tell they use fresh crab to make their sushi. There isn't a fishy smell and the snow crab melts in your mouth. Their bento boxes are tasty too! Love their teriyaki salmon bento box. The salmon is cooked perfectly! Staff is okay. Overall atmosphere is quiet and casual. Although I wish they have more parking space.
(4)
Michelle B.
I hope it is not because I was very hungry; but the food was very good. I ordered the large mixed sashimi. I went on a Saturday night and the place was packed. I waited a long time to sit and I waited a long time to order and I waited a long time for my food to arrive. My water with lemon was good. The miso soup was good. The cucumber salad was great. The orange slices were nice and sweet. And my fish was superb!
(3)
Nolan B.
Good prices and a chill atmosphere. It gets my vote.
(4)
Katie S.
I think sushi cafe has better hot food than Akebono (right across the street), but Akebono has better sushi. Their bento boxes are great! It comes with the usual.. rice, soup, salad, along with 2 pieces of california rolls. More food is always better =) free edamame if you sit at the bar!! =D
(4)
M C.
I am updating my review because the customer service has gotten a bit better. I still visit this place occasionally and I must say, their lunch specials are still a great deal. :)
(4)
Sarah P.
My coworkers recently took me here for lunch for my birthday. It was right at lunchtime, but we were seated quickly and our orders were taken in a timely fashion. Surprisingly enough, I didn't order sushi - thought their menu for rolls looked decent. We all ordered different versions of the bento box (a really great deal for 7.50 - comes with 2 different "entree" choices, salad, rice, miso, and 2 pieces of california roll). My 2 friends' bento boxes came out fairly quickly, at the same time. Mine came out at least 5 minutes later and made us wonder if they forgot about me. No BIG deal, but mildly annoying - and they didn't even offer an apology or a "it'll be out in a minute," which was kind of strange. On to the food: The bad: Teriyaki steak. I got mine spicy. The sauce seemed to be flavorful, but the meat was pretty tough (like difficult to bite one of the slices in half). Also, there was a large strip of fat along the edge of each piece. Not the yummy, soft, succulent fat, but the hard gross can't chew/swallow/eat gristly hard type. YUCK. The ok: They serve a communal little cucumber salad between miso and meal that was decent. The miso was fine, could've been hotter. The california roll in the bento was not bad, but not good either. Pretty much what you'd expect for a 2 piece in a bento I guess. The good: The other entree I chose for my bento was the mixed tempura, and OH MY GOD was it the best tempura I've ever had. It came with a piece of broccoli, an onion ring, a zucchini slice, a carrot slice (wish this had been sweet potato!), and one shrimp. Each piece was perfectly cooked and so delicious. It was light, flavorful, tender, and just perfect. It made the rest of the meal pale in comparison. All in all it was a decent meal. I've only been in Sac 3 months, and I've yet to find a teriyaki place I actually like. I'll probably return here and get a different meat choice, because the sauce itself (and the look of my friends' entrees) made me optimistic. If you go, definitely don't skip the tempura (I normally would have!), it is heavenly!
(3)
Kit L.
The place is OK, if you go there when the happy hour starts. Other than that, the food is a bit overpriced (as with most sushi places), but the quality is often sub-par. Fish is fresh (as expected), but falls short on the utility as well as treatment of the fresh fish. I hate to give this place 2 stars since its a local favorite, and a far cry from upscale joint where folks from around the area tend to love little places like this, but honestly, I have had better, and I feel that folks on Yelp have been inflating the rating of this place a little bit.
(2)
Wendy L.
Not much to say about Sushi Cafe except its your typical neighborhood hole in the wall sushi place. Pro: -close to a residential neighborhood. -friendly wait staff. -Reasonable prices Cons: -typical mayo saturated rolls and nothing impressive.
(2)
Leslie P.
Well, I have to say it was packed, but were were seated pretty quickly. Our server was sweet as pie. The rolls were good. We had the Hot Summer roll: seared salmon, tempura jalapeno, avocado, spicy tuna, scallop, It was cut perfectly and nice and spicy. We also tried the MVR Roll: spicy tuna, shrimp, cucumber, avocado, lemon, white tuna, jalapeno, this was kind of meh, the white tuna didn't really stand out but the roll was pretty to look at. The grilled eggplant was pretty good, not mushy and the sauce complimented the flavor of the eggplant brought out by the grilling, my only suggestion is to change the presentation to bite size instead of long strips. The Ahi Poke was good, plump, fresh and a good portion. The Hamachi Kama was excellent with the grated daikon and the ponzu, although be it late, they didn't have it ready until we were ready to leave, but our server was so sweet about it I really couldn't get upset about it. I will go back to try the Bento and maybe test out another roll.
(3)
Smelly C.
Sushi Cafe is ok. It's not a place to dine but a place to eat and go. The servers hustle and try to get their tables in and out which is good and bad. They have different combinations of food for their bento boxes and I felt like I can have what I want and another item that I didn't really want because the other item I'd rather have.. is combo'd with another item for another box. Other than that.. it's ok. I like: house dressing rice I dislike: Tonkatsu(breading is more like tempura, i like it when it's crispy panko-y) Salmon Teriyaki (regular or spicy) Parking
(3)
Melissa D.
I agree with some of the other reviewers... this place is ok... I've definitely experienced better.... Dislikes 1. The Sesame Chicken and tempura is extremely oily... 2. The service there isn't that great... 3. If you're in a rush and you want take out.... don't go here... it takes a while.. 4. The fish doesn't taste that fresh... Likes: 1. Cheap for lunch... well... cheaper in general 2. The salad is really good 3. Their sushi is cheaper than most places 4. It's close by my school 5. The portions are a pretty good size.
(2)
Mike S.
This place is solid. I have never had a bad meal here, or bad service. And, I have been here a lot lately since my now 5 year old has proclaimed this as his favorite restaurant, replacing Spaghetti Factory (thank God). The kid usually has a California Roll and some Gyoza. Or, he will have some raw tuna. Whatever floats his boat. The waitresses gladly make him kid chopsticks out of rubber bands, etc, which makes him happy. The other half usually has the SPD roll, which is apparently great. I'm allergic to seafood, which leaves me with the usual Terayaki Chicken, Steak, or vegetarian rolls. I have done all of it, and it's all good.
(4)
Jason M.
For the freshness of their fish, I would give them four stars, which is a good thing for a sushi restaurant, but as a japanese restaurant, I give them three stars. Their rolls are very americanized, with lots of sauces slathered over them which tend to mask the true flavor of contents inside. I mean, how can you taste the freshness of the hamachi or maguro, when it is doused in eel sauce? And their cooked dishes arent that much better. Deffinately not offensive, but nothing I'd write home about, and for the price, I would deffinately expect more. I figure, why go here when Akebono is a couple blocks down the street!
(3)
Veronica b.
This was my birthday present. Food was great. A little Bento box. Cute. but i left hungry.lol. My kid loves this place because its in walking distance from the college. Pretty on the inside. Smells a lil fishy tho.
(4)
Harrybobo L.
Came here for lunch and was pleasantly decorated and service was very swift. I ordered the Hamachi Jaws and USA roll. First of the radio station was blaring too loud and distracting. Secondly the complimentary sliced cucumber was tasteless (needed more vinegar and longer curing time) Thirdly when the hamachi arrived I wanted some plain rice to eat it with. The server said it didn't come with the order (How much is a bowl of rice?Would it break them to bring one?) The USA roll is soft shelled crab three kinds of sashimi. Skimpy and drowned with too many sweet sauces. Overall I think they should have served a small bowl of miso soup while diners are waiting for their food and a bowl of rice should be offered upon request. I think I'll go somewhere else next time. Maybe back to RAKU!!!!!
(2)
Priscilla G.
My dearest Sushi Cafe, what happend?! This place used to be one of my favorites, but ever since they opened up their 2nd location downtown, things have definitely changed. The last few times I've dined here were my last. I've had quite a few bad experiences like freakishly gigantic fat fried oysters, bitter sunomono, a hair in my soft shell crab appetizer, and a flat italian soda. The rolls still had the same great taste, they just fell apart a whole lot easier(Booooo!). It hurts to give Sushi Cafe only 2 stars as it was once the perfect, affordable fresh sushi restaurant. I would go at least twice a month and always order my beloved land park roll. But now, I agree with toko m., I'd rather go to Togo's next door.
(2)
Kristie F.
The ambience in this restaurant is sooo nice! The chairs seem extra comfy too. o_0 Came here for happy hour (rolls that were 10 dollars usually were 5!!) and it was delicious! Another cute sushi joint in the area, and if you live in the neighborhood, they send you coupons you can use there. :)
(4)
Suzanne O.
You cannot beat their pepperfin dish! Although I like most of their food, their pepperfin is worth the 5 stars by itself. I spoke to Bryant (the owner) who said that the fish comes in fresh caught every other day. The pepperfin we were eating that day just came in that morning. You can't get more fresh than that. It comes topped with fresh thin-cut jalapenos and the sauce is amazing - sesame oil, soy sauce and citrus. It's better than Mikuni's pepperfin. Other great items to try are Bryant's Rainbow Roll and their deep fried gyoza (pot stickers). This is definitely a place we visit at LEAST once-a-week.
(5)
Tony C.
this is the BEST sushi place in town. The owner brings in top grade fish that is fresh and tasty. We have been going here for years and have never had a bad meal. My favs are the seafood salad, Mattie's Roll, and Bryants Big roll, and the BBQ Albacore. for any extra treat try the BlueFin Toro and a can of sake
(5)
Luke B.
Delicious sushi, especially the yellowtail & the California roll. Love the cucumber salad and, of course, the saki!
(4)
Phil O.
A friend of mine took me to Sushi Cafe for lunch. I never really noticed it prior despite how much I frequently visit the area. I ordered a roll the first visit and on the next a box. The rolls are smaller in comparison to other places. So I don't think it's such a good deal for the price - which is low. The box on the second visit was pretty good for the price. But not as much sesame chicken as other places I've visited. Theres a good amount of parking available in the front and prices are low in comparison to other japanese restaraunts during lunch. The dining area is clean and the service was excellent on both occasions. I'm not sure what to make of it really. I would be willing to pay extra for standard sized rolls or more chicken. Though I've experienced better, I would visit again someday but won't order any sushi as it's not such a good deal.
(2)
Del'Esa L.
I've been here several times now, and each visit has been consistently great. The service is friendly, and they have an awesome selection to choose from, whether you're into raw fish or not. My favorite part about this place next to the food is the welcoming ambiance. Lots of families come here, and its the kind of place you can dine alone comfortably in! I'm looking forward to bringing my sushi-loving friends here :-)
(4)
Frankie C.
This place has the best sushi ever. Best in Sacramento, in my opinion. I come to this place about once a week, sometimes more than that. Normally I would order the Bryant's Rainbow, Crispy Seared Tuna, and the Landpark Roll. The Freeport Roll and the Laura's Roll (not shown on the menu) are great as well. The prices may be a bit expensive and the rolls may be a bit smaller compared to other places, but it is definitely worth it. The service here is wonderful as well. They will check up on you often and make sure that everything is okay and if you need a refill on your drink. Laura, a waitress who works here, is one of the best servers I have ever had. It's awesome that they named a roll after her because she sure deserves it. I would definitely recommend this place to others. I've been here with a lot of friends and they all loved it. Give it a try and you will not be disappointed.
(5)
Jessica And John W.
This is a wonderful sushi cafe. I love, love, love this place!!!! Some of the best sushi I've eaten. They find the BEST fish around and fillet it into the most wonderful mouth watering dishes ever!!! It is one of the places I go time and time again!!! Just the thought of their sushi and Unagi has me craving it yet again!!! Unlike other sushi restaurants I have gone to the fish here is beyond compare, it is fresh, sweet, and clean tasting. It is definitely a cut above the rest. Sometimes I go there 3-4 times a week, but it can get expensive, especially because it is sooooo good you just want to eat more! Need I say more? And again I am taken back to the reminisces of the flavors! Mmmm..
(5)
Diddy Y.
went for mother's day dinner. BAD! Had the combo bento with teriyaki steak and tuna sashimi...... Sashimi was old, cold (Still frozen) and a bit fishy tasting. Not impressed....gave this place 2-3 chances...still BAD!
(2)
Sara O.
Really good "Happy Hour" menu but one of the waitresses that works there is super sarcastic and rude and does not treat the customers very well. So other then super bitchy waitresses, this restaurant has great prices and the best sushi in town.
(4)
Cindy C.
3.5 stars: a cute little sushi joint run by chinese folks, this is definitely not intended to be a high-end japanese restaurant. So don't traipse in there expecting the finest quality sushi and leaving disappointed. yelper..you have been duly noted. IMO, the happy hour 2-5pm, is the best time ( maybe..only time?) to go. The HH menu includes 10 types of sushi rolls..for the dirt cheap price of $5 each! They also have yakitori for $2, but didn't try those. Overall, the sushi was satisfactory. The sushi presentation was sloppy..but ey $5..I really can't complain. We also ordered sesame chicken (priced at $8.95) which was pretty good as well. for 5 rolls + sesame chicken= grand total of $36..+ leftovers for lunch tomorrow. talk about dirt cheap!
(3)
Maytee R.
I went there with a friend and took a bento box to go for my man's dinner...he is really picky so I figured if he didn't like it I'd eat it but he actually thought it was really good and a few weeks later we went there for a little dinner date. The selection of rolls is BIG and everything I've tried has been very tasty. And the price is right!
(4)
Im hungry L.
This place is slipping and they don't even know it! We came in expecting a quick meal and get on with our evening. We should of found a real fast food - Sushi Cafe let us down and we were not the only ones. A table next to us was also upset and left after the wait was longer than what they also expected. Something is not right and the food I had was a very greasy version of Shoyu Noodles in broth. Our Flaming Dragon roll was fun and very tasty to ofset such a long long wait for our small dinner. This will be the third strike for this location, I use to really like this spot. I eat at Ikebono most of the time and maybe this time will keep looking for another neighborhood
(2)
Al F.
This place is our weekly mainstay!!! More so because it's 2 miles from the house and with a 4 yr old who tends to fall asleep on longer drives, it's perfect!!! This is our 7 yr old favorite place as well! The food is better than most down the Freeport strip and the sushi is good as well. And...it doesn't "break" the pocketbook with a family of four. It gets even better if you can make it to happy hour!!! They have rolls for $5 on the happy hour menu and some good eats (ie. fried chicken nuggets, chicken skewers, scallops, etc...) to accompany the beers on tap. Only draw back is the parking lot is tight and can get packed up during happy hour; you might have to park on the street.
(4)
April H.
Best sushi ever!! Happy hour specials are outstanding :-) Love this place
(5)
TeaBoy A.
The design and everything looked nice. Service was ok. But Fish is not fresh. Sushi rolls are small. Never get the Sushi boat that goes for $75 i thnk you can get like 7 rolls and be more full then that stupid boat.. $75 for like 3 different roll and couple sashimi oooh Heck no! So my conclusion is its not really worth spending money here.. Better off with bel air or nugget sushi... Save the money if your thinking about here..
(1)
Brandon L.
Based off the food my cousin brought me, I thought it was delicious :) I can't rate the service since I didn't go there, but it was definitely tasty. Yum yum yum :) If I had the chance, I would make a trip there. If the rest of their sushi is as good as what I tried, then I might have found my new favorite spot!
(5)
Sandy L.
Please do not eat here unless you want to be racially offended. This is the worst customer service I ever received. The server was racist. My friends and I went out after class grabbed some food. They told me about this sushi cafe near Sac City. The server, a late 20 Chinese mandarin man, was flirting with us. When he asked us what nationality we were, I told him I was half Thai and Hmong. He started to rant and use racial slurs against Hmong people. He tried to be funny and said he hates Hmong people because they were short, fat, and ugly. He claimed I was wasting my time with my Hmong husband. He hates Hmong people because they were trying to take over his country. I was offended and became upset. I tried defending myself and start saying profanities. He was going on a racial rant for a good 5 minutes. My friends and other workers were shocked. My friends were defending me and his co-workers were telling him to stop. I asked to talk to the manager who just pull him on a side telling him to calm down. My friends and I just walked out the place without paying letting the manager know. As we were to leave, the server had the audacity to ask me for my phone number. What a troll! I almost slap him. I told my husband about it and I had to restrain him at home to even go back to that place to confront the server. I have witnesses, accident happened on 04/30/2013 around 9pm. I hope management or the owner really do something about it. This is by far the worst customer service I ever received, being racially insulted. DO NOT EAT HERE UNTIL THIS SERVER IS FIRED.
(1)
Pearl M.
I love sushi and this is my spot. Enough said! Oh yeah two more words for you creamy maguro (get some!).
(4)
Paula T.
I also went to sushi cafe on New Years Day! I was glad it was open. I am not a sushi connoisseur, because I don't love fish....I don't know how fair it is that I am rating this restaurant, but...... I really like their rolls and their pan-fried gyoza. The miso is pretty amazing too. I haven't had their box meals, but the other diners with me said they were ok. The service depends; some nights they couldn't be better and other nights it's as if they have forgotten about our presence. I will return if I ever feel the need to eat sushi again.
(3)
Jessica R.
After my two reviews of giving this place two stars. My mind has changed after those two reviews, maybe it was what I ordered or I don't know. I guess they are winning their way up to three stars.. why? Because of their "Cafe special," duh. Get it, it's good. And you won't be sorry either. The cafe special definitely changed my mind about this place, BUT I refuse to try their raspberry ice tea again.
(3)
Ryan C.
This place is great. I have been eating sushi for almost my whole life, and I know what good sushi tastes like. This place has fresh cuts and great rolls. I am giving it only 4 stars because I have heard that they have new staff recently and the food wasn't as good. Maybe its a training issue, who knows, but I am dinging them because I trust my sources.
(4)
Larry L.
Been going to Sushi Cafe' ever since they have opened 5 years ago. Heck I went there 72 days straight, including going to the Alhambra location on Sunday s when they were closed! I have tried a lot of local sushi spots around the greater Sacramento area. I think I can say that I have found the one. This is the spot where they get to know you on a personal level, what you like and how you want you rolls and or food. When I walk in, it feels like I am the "Norm" of Sushi Cafe'. Everybody finds there one particular place they feel at "home" for their favorite sushi. Sushi Cafe' is mine! Just joined Yelp, so expect a few more reviews to come. Heck, everyone has an opinion so why not share it. :-)
(4)
Jae S.
Okay food, Bad service. Had a coupon for "buy a roll, get one for a dollar " expiring tomorrow, so I came in. Nice interior, nice, cute waitress. However, the service was lacking . Ordered 2 rolls, and a Bento box. Took at least 30-40 minutes for our food to arrive. The food was OK, nothing spectacular. Waiting for that long with a hungry grandpa and hungry toddler was pretty exacerbating, especially when we watched the people next to us sit down, get their meals and dessert and leave before we'd gotten any part of our meal. I probably won't go back unless I have another coupon and not in a hurry to eat.
(3)
Janet S.
Don't know what came over me. I always order a chirashi to get my sashimi fix, but the saba dinner called my name. It came w/ a couple pieces of tuna, so I was okay with that. My friend said that they're known for their great tempura, so we both ordered the mixed tempura which came with shrimp and vegetables. It was indeed very good. A nice neighborhood restaurant.
(3)
KP M.
3 strikes and you're out. I've tried this neighborhood place 3 times in about as many years--twice for take out and tonight for happy hour. Service tonight was super slow. $2 for 2 spears of asparagus? Sushi rolls were sweet when they had taste. And I've consistently found management to be cheap. Why offer coupons monthly when you won't take them?
(2)
Kara B.
Order the cafe special and the eel roll and they were absolutely disgusting. The eel was chewy and couldn't even bite through it. And the shrimp tempura in the cafe special tasted stale. Never paying for this sushi again.
(1)
Gregory G.
If you go here...you might die. Okay, you won't die, but you might get some serious food poisoning. I had heard pretty good things about this place from a reliable source. My wife had gone there previously and said that the Bento boxes were both sizable and tasty. So when my in-laws dropped by Sacramento on their way back from Seattle to Carlsbad, we decided to take them to Sushi Cafe. Bad idea. All of us, except for my brother-in-law ordered various Bento boxes (tonkatsu, chicken katsu, tempura, teriyaki chicken and teriyaki salmon). He ordered the tonkatsu over rice. In general I was unimpressed with my teriyaki salmon and spicy teriyaki chicken Bento box. But at the end of the evening, it seemed as though everyone else was pretty content with their food and we left the restaurant in good spirits, tummies filled. That's when the trouble began. Early the next morning my father-in-law upchucks...everything. And so began their travel day, a pretty bad way to start off an 8+ hour drive back to Carlsbad huh? Then a little bit later, in the car, my brother-in-law heaves. And my mother-in-law? She was a little too slow opening the Target bag. Middle seat of the van...soiled and stinky for the rest of the trip. The culprit? Sushi Cafes' pork tonkatsu. The irony of it all? I just got a $20 gift certificate to Sushi Cafe this past weekend. I guess I'll have to go when I'm feeling a little 007-esque. Living dangerously...very dangerously...
(1)
Bad M.
Beyond yummy and now with five dollar lunch specials!
(5)
Chris L.
Been coming to Sushi Cafe since it was just the Freeport spot. Quality food and a hometown feel. Everything Mikuni used to be before they expanded and decided to go "big time". Favorite in town.
(4)
Trina B.
If you're in a budget but would love to eat Japanese food, this is the way to go...worth every penny.
(3)
Ngoc L.
Went here with my housemates a few times and we both really liked it. He used to come here regularly when he took classes at Sac city that's how we found this place. The bento box here are pretty good and the people there are really nice and friendly too. My housemate used to ordered a roll here with a variety of sashimi and like this really good sauce but I just don't remember the name. It may look kinda shaggy from the outside but it's really not that bad. You'll be surprised =]
(4)
Cindy L.
Came with my boyfriend during their Happy Hour held on the weekdays from 2:30 to 5:30 where they serve rolls for $5~!!!. Even though you can only select from a specific menu it still has a great selection. I would recommend the spicy roll and the dragon roll. The spicy roll has just the right amount of spice to give it a kick. What makes the rolls the best is their SAUCE~! They have the best combination of sauce. This is the place where I come for good and cheap sushi when I have my sushi craving~!! Now, whenever anyone talks to me about getting sushi I immediately think of sushi cafe.
(4)
Al M.
My girlfriend loves this place, so I've had more than a few experiences with Sushi Cafe. Seemingly in recent months, they've put more effort (or something) into their food, as the rolls I generally order (Esquire, Gavin's, Kings or Seashell) have tasted fresher and have been more filling over the time I've been there. Although I'd probably pick Osaka over Sushi Cafe 10 out of 10 times, Sushi Cafe would probably be in my top three choices of Sushi bars in Sacramento. Their rolls are very good and they undoubtedly have the best tempura in town. The reasons why I give Sushi Cafe 3 stars is because they are generally inconsistent with how they serve their food and their waitresses are mind-numbingly inattentive. In one instance where I had an order of seared scallops the dish was drenched in sauce, whereas the previous time I ordered it the sauce was lightly drizzled over the scallops. Waiting close to 20 minutes for someone to pick up your tab or refill your water isn't out of the ordinary as well. The last time I went on a weekend where it was mildly busy, they tried to charge me for a roll they never even bothered to bring out. When I had asked about why I was being charged for something I didn't receive, the waitress brought the roll I had originally ordered immediately, which happened to be sitting on top of the counter for a good 15 minutes. She blamed the mistake on the restaurant being too busy to manage. I blame it on incompetence. In sum, the food is very good but everything else isn't. Edit (8/14/08): They've stepped it up totally. Gotta give them their props and hit em with the 4 stars. Go here!
(4)
D. A.
Barred It was around dinner time and I was hungry. Eying this restaurant while cruising Freeport, I decided to stop here. I sensed the dinner rush about the begin - the tables were filling up fast. Since I was alone, the server attempted to sit to place me at the bar. "No, I want a table." I sensed hesitation but she moved me to a table intended for 2 anyway. I should've acted on my immediate instinct to leave. Pleasant Interior The table and bar arrangements can be slightly cramped. Not as modern/fancy as Mikuni's but a nice, cozy setting. See others' reviews for details. Fast Delivery As a first time test run, I ordered L15. Sushi and Sashimi Dinner. Almost immediately, the soup and pickled cucumber slices arrived. Within 5-10 minutes, my dinner box arrived. Errrr, Ummm, A Little Too Fast First of all, let's give credit for the sashimi part. About 5 or 6 thick slices of sashimi. Not bad - possibly 3/8" to 1/2" thick. The rest? Anything with rolls or packed rice either exploded or crumbled upon contact. Along with the salad, an orange slice and the rest of the basics, there was also a huge scoop of rice that looked... slopped on. What ever happened to presentation? It dawned on me when the word "efficiency" came to mind. Listening to the language and dialect of the staff here, "Aha! These people are... efficient!" Thank you. Hurry up and pay now, then GTFO! It was an assembly line delivery of food. Then, they almost tried to take my dinner box away. "No, not finished yet?" The check came. Barely looking at the check, someone immediately came to see if I've already signed off on the credit card voucher. "Didn't sign yet? Okay." Without going into further detail, as the girls (the servers) were pleasant. the overall last exchange was, "GTFO," but with a smile. $h!+ - I already wrote the tip in. For a pleasant, relaxed experience, hurry up and go somewhere else.
(1)
Shane N.
Every time I eat at Sushi Cafe I'm never disappointed, this place never fails.
(4)
Anna T.
They've added a little extension recently so now it's a lot less cramped in there. Same yummy sushi, friendly service, and their happy hour prices on certain rolls. The only thing they've changed is that now you can't use the little neighborhood coupons for their happy hour sushi anymore :(
(3)
Tonie D.
Sushi Cafe is our family "go to" place to eat. The Sushi is always great, and the crew comes up with fun specialty rolls every week. The staff is very attentive, and because its a neighborhood place we always run into someone we know - or meet someone we want to know. On cold wintery days, when cold food doesnt sound good, there are plenty of other dishes - like a great beef soba noodle soup (my son's favorite) or some crisp and crunchy tempura.
(4)
Carina S.
So i must say sushi rolls for $5 good... but the service is terrible.... i asked for hot sauce for my rolls and was charged extra who does that most places provide for free.... and i have to ask for refills... and when i asked for anything they seemed to be bothered!
(1)
Elaine H.
I used to order take out here all the time when I worked in the area. It never tasted bad, but it wasn't out of the ordinary either. Last night we were driving around at 8 something pm close to 9, and most of the Japanese restaurants around the area were closed! Therefore, we stumbled in here and it was my first time dining in. Its a small place with some simple, yet elegant decor. I love the granite counter tops and the piece they have by the wall, but I must say that the tables are really too small. We could barely fit our dishes along with the soy sauce and drinks. The portions were HUGE for dinner. It was the biggest piece of salmon I've EVER HAD in any Japanese restaurant. The taste.. alright. Their seared tuna was alright too, but the edges had a really nice flaky crisp to it, which I enjoyed. I would recommend the seared tuna, but prefer that there was some kind of sauce to it.
(3)
Michelle S.
Small sushi joint on Freeport. Hubby and I usually venture here for lunch when we want Japanese. We usually get the rolls...the USA roll and the Rainbow roll (both with sashimi) are two we order quite a bit...and some hot tea makes for a nice meal. If we are still feeling hungry, we each go for a hand roll. The Yum Yum is a tasty one with lobster salad and tuna! It's tightly packaged in a soy wrapper. Quick friendly service. Reasonably priced. Sometimes they have coupons in the Our Neighborhood Shopper coupon book.
(4)
Kay Z.
Nice Place for a Date This is a private respectful japanese place. The bento boxes have a nice mix, and the roles are very good. The sashimi is solid. It's not really a place I'd go with a big party, or somewhere that you can go very often, it seems to be a little bit pricy and the portions aren't that big. The sauce is a little overused. It's not a place I'd go all the time but it's close to downtown and its got that private feeling where I'd really feel comfortable taking someone here when I'm still getting to know them.
(4)
Nikki J.
i think i may be officially done with Sushi cafe- both locations. it used to be one of my favorite sushi restaurants in Sac, but after recent strikeouts at both locations, im moving on. I just had lunch at the Freeport location. the place wasn't too packed- about six tables full and two at the bar. i waited over 30 minutes for two rolls. one of the rolls was a special one from the menu board. it was horrible! nice presentation though. it came out wrapped in foil and flaming! no, really. after the flames went out i unwrapped the foil to the stench of burnt sushi. i choked down about half the roll but couldn't stomach the rest. it tasted like soggy burnt sushi. Nice try. as i was waiting for my food the solo sushi chef decided he'd stop filling orders and instead chat with some friends and make them some on-the-house appetizers. how nice, but what about the rest of us? while that was going on a table had to ask for their bill twice because their server had disappeared into the back with all the other employees. too bad Sushi Cafe, you've really tanked lately. i will not be back.
(1)
caryl r.
I went with some friends to this restaurant today for the first time, at their recommendation. Wow. Love it! I had the SPD roll, which was yummaliscious, with a little bit of spicy spicy, and split a roll whose name I can't remember but had the word 'dynamite' in it. YUM!! Super spicy, and extra tasty. I love how they put the green tea in a larger, handle-free mug - I rather prefer that to the tinier cups. The miso soup was hot and tasty, with nice bits of tofu. The wait staff was very pleasant and quick. All in all, this is one of the best sushi places I've been too.
(4)
Kong Y.
Bro and I came here for three straight days - Friday being one of the most craziest nights ever - especially for a Pre-B-day party before the main event on Saturday (May 9th). We started off with some good silky melt in your mouth oysters and mussels (from Washington very creamy and smooth). Then we had Chef Steve's choice of Sashimi - Sake, Toro, Hamachi, and the Saba. Let's just say 10 sake bombs and 20+ sake shots chasers interchanging between hot and cold = Saturday morning = first hangover. Brian, Steve, Keban, Tim, and the rest of the Sushi Cafe staff thanks for taking care of all of us. Good times! We've got to party like a rock star again. Until then keep doing what you do best!
(4)
Juliet H.
really good sushi, highly reccomend it.
(5)
Erne S.
Sesame chicken is very good. They could hire more servers. They seem in such a hurry. The sushi chefs are friendly and personable. Great plus...
(3)
Billy B.
Usually I love Sushi Cafe but man the service is snail slow today. What the heck?
(2)
Kathy K.
I visited for the second time today, remembering that my first time was also the first TsingTao (Chinese beer) I had legally consumed as a 21-year old some short years ago. (^_*) I knew it looked familiar but did not recognize so from the angle of the bar where I sat this time around. Over-all an average sushi experience. I tried the Bryant's Rainbow roll- which would be great if I were a sashimi fan, but I forgot I wasn't. The variety is nice though for the $13.95 I paid for it. If you are an Unagi (cooked eel) fan like I am, the Freeport roll ($9.95) is the way to go. Felt bad for my husband since I was all up on his order like a fishing bear in the wild. I liked his order more than mine. I also had the Cafe Special roll, which I enjoyed far better than the Bryant. Like I said, only average everything. Since I purchased a $50 certificate from sacramentoperks.com that broke up in two denominations of $25 and could only be used one per table, we shamelessly split our family into two seatings - at the bar- so we are still side-by-side anyway, to be able to utilize both certificates. I mean, how many more times do I plan on coming around here anyway? Well-- our Nazi waitress caught on and made a point of it to call us out and lecture us about making sure not to do this again- that she was sharp enough to observe that we were a family. Too bad sarcasm does not translate on paper. My husband felt obligated to give her an undeserved 25% tip. Whatever! The economy is tight I get it- the certificates would have been consumed regardless, either now or later! Quality customer service that she missed the boat on, would have had me coming back for more since my kids will be attending school in the nearby area soon. I think you are much better off going downtown, heck - even Elk Grove for sushi. But if it's a mediocre quick sushi fix you are looking for and you are in the vicinity, I guess they will do the job. I suggest, you take a drive down to the Oto's Marketplace just a few blocks away instead, and buy the ingredients to make your own- that little store is so awesome. I sure hope the Saporro Grill downtown is friendlier and better than this. I almost feel cheated by the video that promotes this place. Didn't realize it mostly showed Saporro Grill and not Sushi Cafe. Overrated!
(1)
Genie e.
Very bad food n service!!! The waitess have no idea what I was trying to oder, very bad english I couldn't understand her!!! The food was far worst then the service!!! Only one word to describe it GROSS!!!! Eveything was tiny and over priced!!! I will never ever step foot in there!!!! N u shouldnt too!!!!
(1)
Anthony V.
Had a Friends birthday party here, we had 25 people in are party , they did a very good job with the food and service !! The reason why 4 out of 5 stars is because the first round of beers were hot+ they have beer on tap but won't do pitchers, so they make u spend more on bottles !! Great place tho !!! Toc
(4)
R R.
Great location and the inside looked nice. The reason there is 1 star is because there was hairs in my food. This could be a one time thing, but check your food just in case.
(1)
Sara R.
My husband and I are regulars at Sushi Cafe for years now. I always order the same Gynuiku with Udon and my husband orders the Bryants Rainbow. We can never seem to go anywhere else for sushi.
(5)
Eric D.
Love this place! It is a great, fun, inviting sushi restaurant where the staff is always welcoming. They have a big variety of Japanese food, including sushi, bento boxes, Japanese beer and sake. It is fairly inexpensive and in a cool location across the street from Land Park. If you're ever in the area, you should definitely stop by!
(4)
V M.
Great Sushi.. great place for dates
(5)
Nancy R.
Really good rolls, they're a bit pricier then they should be but all in all good food for the price. One of their vegetarian rolls is amazing it's garlic something sorry can't remember the name, my friend ordered it. We asked the waitress what type of vegan rolls she had and it was the one she recommended, great sauce too. Their service is ok, I like the bits of decor inside, from the street you'd think it'd be a place rats would frequent but it's totally not the case the bathrooms definitely clean :) cheggit out.
(4)
Keri B.
2.5 . I once had a pleasant lunch experience at Sushi Cafe and a decent dinner at the one on Alhambra, so we tried this place again because it' was open till 9:30 (Sat night) and we wanted sushi at 8:45. Well as soon as we get our food they start bleach mopping and the smell of bleach while eating is totally disgusting to me. My Rainbow roll wasn't too great either, it was long but skinny and skimpy on the raw fish, bland and bleachy. They did however have a kid's menu (rare at a Japanese joint) and the waitress was kind enough to prop the door open so I could finish my tiny meal.
(2)
Tony T.
I am going to disagree. This is one of those places my friend and I go to when we really want some sushi and don't want to drive to Zen. I have been a number of times and each time their service has been solid and food has been good. Hell, the last time we went we sat at the bar and ended up getting free hits off a large bottle of sake from our neighbors. Plus, sitting at the bar is ALWAYS more entertaining at a sushi place. Three stars for good food and decent prices.
(3)
Nat F.
I've been going to Sushi Cafe every once in a while for the past 2 years. The fish is pretty good, kumiawase udon and oyster appetizer are both awesome. Also, although I feel the fish is not as fresh their Alhambra location, their prices are also less. A couple times I went, the owner was there at the bar pouring sake for everyone, including my friend and I, which was pretty entertaining. All in all, a great place to satisfy your sushi/Japanese food cravings without the ridiculous prices.
(4)
Felicia J.
It's not my favorite sushi restaurant but it's not bad. It is nice to go during the week because it tends to be quite than other restaurants. The food isn't always great, but I have never disliked their udon.
(3)
Michelle T.
I wasn't a big fan of sushi until my friend brought me here. It was about a year ago. I was a total Sushi Noob! Only ate the California Roll. This place has such great sushi that I have tried almost everything on the menu! IT's small but it's got a great feel to it and I've never had to wait long to be seated.
(4)
Ifamodupe E.
I only have two words: HAPPY HOUR! From 2:30 to 5:30pm It is one of the best happy hours in the city. Helps that I can walk to it from my house.
(4)
Jonah G.
Great happy hour awesome rolls, but terrible service
(4)
Davis T.
I eat a lot of sushi and after driving around to find a sushi restaurant that was actually open between the hours of 3-5 close to work, I came upon this place. It didn't offer anything different to warrant anything worth raving about. $30 for two not including tax/tip/drinks is what you would spend.
(2)
Julie M.
My favorite local Japanese food. Served with a smile in an easy to get location at the corner of Freeport Blvd. and Sutterville Road in south Sacto.
(4)
Grace Y.
Setting is nice with marble table. Food on the other hand is average, if you really have to pick a sushi restaurant in Sacramento, please go to Ichi Maki~ It's much better than this place and it's not as expensive.
(2)
Matty K.
I don't know what it is about this little hole in the wall, but everytime I go there I've left incredibly full, tipsy, and laughing with a smile on my face. Went here last night after not having been for a couple of months. My friends got a sashimi with maguro and fresh sake. Our other friend got the sesame chicken udon, and I got the cooks to make me a special veggie and tofu stir-fry (i'm in training). We feasted on an appetizer of edamame, which was perfectly salted, and not overcooked and mushy. The atmosphere was very casual, and the service reflected that. Food was brought out as it came up, no sitting under the heat lamps. The servers were chatting with the customers as they brought the food out. Certainly not a formal place. This is a neighborhood spot, where everybody knows everyone else and all sit down to feast on delicious fish (and tofu if you're a vegetarian) while sipping on some (complimentary?!!) sake. The stir-fry was perfect, not greasy, fresh produce, variety of veggies, and spicy as I requested. The sashimi was very fresh and not sinewy, my friend said. The other girl had a cauldron of bubbling soup. She somehow finished it although she said she was full about half way full. Come here if you want delicious food and a friendly environment.
(5)
John S.
Food is most excellent! We usually order several rolls, nigiri, tea & miso, and some vegetarian tempura. Their tempura is awesome, especially the acorn squash & asparagus. Pricing is more than reasonable. Service is usually good excluding incredibly busy evenings. Dining is a bit cramped and parking can be a pain. The atmosphere is an odd mix of traditional meets sports bar, but still pleasant.
(4)
Tracy L.
I've been here a couple of times but this review is based on yesterday and the time I went there maybe less then a week ago (I was suppose to meet someone there but she 'wasn't feeling good' but really her crazy boyfriend probably didn't want her to go or was pissed cause he wasn't invited..So I'm trying to imply that I don't go there because it was thatttt great) Place was busy. So my boyfriend and me got seated in one of those two people tables in the middle of the room, which means when you push out your chair, it hits the person behind you in the sushi bar. We got seated, got our menus, and the lady left us without asking if we wanted something to drink. Some new waiter saw us sitting there and I thought she was going to tell us that'll she'll be right over with our water or even ask us for our order, but instead she left and came back with a cup of sunomono. The sunomono wasn't too sweet or blend, just right. She must of been new cause she forgot a very important rule in the restaurant business - give your customers water first before sunomono. Okay so about 10 mintues after that another waiter came and got our order. She then returned with water. We ordered L2 - tempura and sesame chicken for $9,95, the U.S.A. roll (soft shell crab, masago, 3 kinds of sashimi, avocado and their sauce) for $10.95 and Seared Tuna dinner for $11.95. After getting our water we seriously waited for close to 20 minutes in getting anything. First came the roll, it was good, maybe cause I was horribly hungry from waiting. I've had their rolls before like the Spider Man one, which no longer exists, and their rolls are better then average. When my box came, I got chicken katsu instead, but the tempura was delicious. My boyfriend's seared tuna dinner came with 8 pieces. Overall - service is very poor, food is good, pricing is affordable :) I also wanted to include a small review on the time I went there less then a week ago. Ordered the $5 tempura and $5 soft shell crab. Both very good tasting and for just 5 bucks makes it more appealing. Also had their version of the ($14) chirashi. The sushi rice it came with had soy sauce in it...not cool. Okay the fish that came on it. 6 or so pieces of seared tuna, no, not regular maguro but seared tuna, 3 pieces of red snapper, 3 pieces of yellow tail and 5 pieces salmon (which was strangely very very cold, like they just gotten it thawed from the freezer). That might seem a lot of pieces to some but the pieces where small and the triangle bowl it came in, was 6 inches length per side, it wasn't deep either. Want good Chirashi? Go to Ricksha Downtown Sac.
(3)
Elijah F.
I visited the Sushi Cafe for lunch one afternoon. There really isn't much to say. I'd give it a middle-of-the-road three stars, as the food was decent, average if not only a hair above average, but the service was atrocious. I was by myself and the waitress automatically sat me at the Sushi bar, where I never like to sit. I try to frequent Yelp and have reviewed for SnR, so I come with a pocket full of cash, ready to dish out for great service. I haven't withdrawn a tip completely in years but here is why I did . . . . . . I had to lasso and ask a random waitress for water and a beer list after having sat, unattended to, for nearly 10 minutes. . . . I ordered an ice tea and, wildly thirsty, drank it in a moment. The next second a random bus person comes around with a pitcher of water (and mind you, my glass still had a centimeter or two of brown ice tea at the bottom) filled my ice tea up with water, making it a murky substance that was niether purely tea nor purely water. . . . after this I did not see another service person save the sushi chef, in front of whom I was I so viciously sat, who, as I was enjoying a baseball game on their television, changed the channel. I would have had to know who I was tipping before I left a tip. This could have just been a bad day for them, which is why I did not give them a one.
(2)
Millie B.
This is a great neighborhood restaurant. You're instantly recognized when you go in, and greeted with a warm welcome. I was there last Tuesday, and I went there with a friend today for lunch. We ordered the Zig Zag hand rolls on my friend's recommendation. It was great! We also ordered the Cafe Special roll, and another special roll that they made for us that's not on the menu. The food was fantastic, and the service was very attentive. They never let our tea cups go empty. It great to be able to support your local neighborhood small business, particularly if the food is so good and fresh.
(5)
B C.
soooosooo deliciouuss. the prices aren't bad either! its def. worth a try!
(4)
Ed A.
Bento Box L15 (dinner version) is an awesome choice at $10.50! They are incredibly generous with the sashimi portions and the quality of the fish is impressive.
(4)
Don H.
Checked this out a few days ago. We had heard the tempura was good, so we thought we'd give a try. Yes, our tempura was very good. It was light and crispy and done just right. We also gave the sushi a try, but were disappointed. The fish seemed fresh enough, but for our tastes the sushi rice was too watery, soft and seemed overcooked. Also, the balance of vinegar didn't seem right. We wondered if it might not have been the correct type of rice for sushi. If you're ordering a spicy style roll with fried food inside, you may not notice the difference, but if you know and like authentic nigiri sushi the way it's served in Japan, we think you'll be disappointed.
(3)
Katy D.
the first time i went to sushi cafe, nothing really stood out to me. maybe i was preoccupied catching up with old friends. but boy, last week when i was in town we went again. it was good! the unagi don was mighty tasty! for only $8.95 you get a good helping of unagi with a side of cucumber salad. it wasn't your typical plain sunomono, it was a good mix of sweet and tangy, but not too over the top. we also ordered a specialty roll, i forgot the name. that was yummy. the menu had a good variety or none normal rolls. my friends ordered udon. the noodles were just the right consistency and the broth was super flavorful. no wonder my friends like this place! the atmosphere is more intimate than others (aka smaller). my friends said they remodeled it; new chairs, more decor. from the outside you might not think to go in, but stop yourself from judging the restaurant by its cover, and go on in! the restrooms could use some help, so hold it when you get there or go before you go. i like this place better than mana. the sushi was fresher and well thought out. the udon tasted better. i look forward to going again when i am in town.
(4)
Albert H.
We go here pretty regularly for sushi. The fish is fresh, and the pieces are generous. If you're interested in decent nigiri sushi, check this place out. If you want fancy rolls drenched in sauce (which usually means the fish is not fresh) then go to Mikuni. Although I really like this place, and the staff is friendly, I agree with other reviews that the service can be slow.
(3)
larry M.
my wife, daughter and i ate here tonight for dinner. we haven't been here in ages and the new additional seating added alot to the atmosphere and i liked it. the staff was pleasant and the menu had a lot to choose from. it took a long while for anyone to take our order and once they took it, it seemed like a long, long time before we got our food. the food was good but anything would have been by the time we got it! our sushi roll came last ... we were almost finished with our dinner, so it wasn't enjoyed as much as when we usually get sushi at the beginning of a meal! i don't mind waiting for freshly cooked food, but this was to the extreme!
(2)
brokester c.
can't vouch for the sushi since i did not consume any. but i like how it is open during the hours all other japanese places are typically closed (3-5pm). i agree, the dressing they use on the salad is quite tasty, as well as the tempura. i had the tempura udon but asked for the spicy miso broth instead and it was quite delicious. i usually can't finish soup when i order it (whether it be pho or ramen or whatever) but i almost finished that entire bowl it was soooo tasty. the mr. had a bento with tempura and sesame chicken and he consumed the whole thing. i think it is safe to say we both left happy, and with a bill less than $16 including 2 hot teas. that's pretty awesome. can't wait to return again.
(4)
Dane H.
I eat lunch here on average once a week, and their bento lunch boxes are the best deal in town. Your choice of 2 items, i.e. grilled spicy salmon and tempura or sushi and pork tonkatsu (too many combinations to list here, pickled cucumbers, soup, rice, salad and a couple pieces of California roll for $5.99! The place is so small you can't miss the sushi bar, but I was a little skeptical that the sushi could be good, too--considering the location--boy was I wrong! I had dinner the other night with a friend who is rooming a few nights a week (he wanted to know where the nearest Starbucks was--he knows the coffee is crap but they open at 5:00 and have the NY Times) it's across the street, so we decided to try Sushi Cafe for "Sushi". What a great find! Some regulars, originally from Singapore, who drive in from Elk Grove once a week sat next to us and clued us in to just let the Sushi guys make what they want. My friend Dave, who just got back from China was telling me about the food and told me the wierdest thing he had was "stinky tofu"! The regulars, who are originally from Singapore perked up their ears and filled us in on more than we needed to know about stinky tofu. The sushi was great and even better with the bottle of G sake our new friends shared with us (they brought it with them and said they always bring a bottle with them-it was great, too!). My friend Dave and I both agreed we found our new favorite sushi joint--and not too far from home, too! UPDATE: Dave, Wendy, Paul and I had sushi there last night and it was outstanding. The key is to go there, preferably with 3 or 4 people and just let the sushi guys do their thing. They don't do flashy B.S. sushi for flash-sake. One thing they made that was unusual was a salad of slices of grilled tombo on a bed of romaine that they called a sea chicken salad, and it was great. We had a spider roll and maybe 3 other rolls, special hand rolls in edible yellow soybean wrappers, plump oysters on the half, and a beautiful presentaton of a whole sea bream fileted into chunks as sashimi. With 4 big Sapporos and a complimentary dessert of ice cream filled , the whole bill came to only about $40 each with 20% tip! The service is efficient without being pretentious--the place is not fancy, but is a cozy little neighborhood joint that just happens to have (I think) some of the best sushi in town. Update: Lately it seems that opening another joint has stretched attentions a bit...
(4)
Matt N.
Let me start by saying that i have been coming to Sushi Cafe for roughly 8 years. over the past 12 months there seems to be a steady decline in the quality of food and service, and a steady increase in the price. Last night was the last straw, we went in at about 5:15, there were 8 of us, 4 kids, 4 adults. we ordered without a problem, and our food came fairly quickly...after that, we didnt see a server again, the kids wanted ice cream for dessert and we wanted more beer and sake, but we could not get a server to come back to the table. the service was the worst, and the food was poor at best. the only reason i gave 2 stars is for the excellence this place has displayed in the past. Oh and the kicker was when we got the bill, they included 15% gratuity. I know this practice is standard for larger parties, but a gratuity is earned, not automatic. I may give them another chance but not likely.
(4)
Christine T.
i love sushi cafe! if my friends ask me where i want to eat, this is usually my suggestion. the wait staff is very friendly. just went tonite, it was slammed. well, i always get my usual- the cafe special udon. it isn't made with consistency, but for the most part is is made with spicy miso soup, with udon, chicken, egg, 2 tempura shrimp, tofu, mushrooms, veggies. it's packed with good stuff. the price is GREATTTT. i've had some of their sushi rolls, which i think are good and the prices are reasonable. but there's nothing too fancy about the rolls. typical spicy mayo and the brown sweet sauce. their bento boxes a good price as well, maybe cheaper than most restaurants.
(4)
Marisa B.
I don't know why some reviews for the Sushi Cafe are so-so. I went last night for the first time and I will DEFINITELY be coming back. My girlfriend lives nearby and usually does take out but we ate in and the place was packed at 8:30pm on a Thursday (first good sign). The location (strip mall) isn't the most glamorous but who cares...we were sat right away and the service was quick and friendly. I am a newbie when it comes to Sushi but I absolutely loved their Vegetarian Roll. I don't do seafood (strange, to be eating Sushi, I know) and usually just get an avocado roll or whatever is on the menu without seafood. I think the roll I ordered was called the Vegetarian #2. It had tempura asparagus, sweet potato, avocado on top and the most delicious sauce. I seriously could eat these things every day...it was that good. Prices were also reasonable. My girlfriend got the salmon dinner and hers was fabulous also. Thanks Tim & Sushi Cafe...we will definitely be back!
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Street, Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Music : Background Good For Dancing : No Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Happy Hour : Yes Best Nights : Fri, Sat, Sun Coat Check : No Smoking : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Skit F.
I've come here twice already. First time I ordered their teriyaki chicken dish and it came with just a bowl of rice and a little bit of chicken. I asked where my side dish was and the waited told me the rice was the side dish. Big waste of $10 right there! Also not to mention the incredibly slow service. I didn't receive my dish until an hour later. Last night I went for my second time and this was worst than my first time! I tried something different. I ordered their tonkatsu ramen and I waited yes again... another full hour. If the bowl contained more food I would give my review a 3 star but the bowl really didn't contain much. Also the noodles were stuck together so it was probably packaged noodles. So in summary of last night's dinner, I paid close to $10 for a bowl of soup that I finished in 30 seconds and had to wait an hour for food. If you want to wait for a long time for less portions of food than McDonalds then go here.
(1)Meg M.
Good food. Nice people. We go here pretty often... Best to go during happy hour to save a few bucks (sushi is always an expensive choice). my daughter loves her "sushi" and asks to go here all the time. She gets a teriyaki chicken roll wrapped in soy wrap... And sometimes two... She wants to upgrade to salmon teriyaki next time we go. Sit at the sushi bar and your kiddos will be entertained by the chefs :)
(4)Mike W.
I came in at 5:40 and placed a to go order for 5 rolls......it's been 34 minutes and I'm still waiting....,why? People have ordered after me and they have their food. Probably because the Sushi chefs are too busy watching the football game. I don't care how good the sushi is when the customer service is horrible
(1)Kevin L.
Delicious!
(5)Mandy T.
Their sushi rolls are pretty standard. There is one waitress that's not that friendly and she always seems to have this passive attitude with me and they take literally 435 hours to make your food. Idk why but they do. So be prepared to wait a good hour.
(2)Madison B.
Just go here, don't ask questions. Don't look for another joint nearby. There is a reason this place is always packed, it's really, really, really good. The sushi chefs are so fun and will make you whatever you want if its on the menu or not. The wait staff is a great time too, we love Friday nights and throwing back a few sake bombs. You can travel to midtown and go to the exciting social sushi spots where everything is deep fried and smothered in mayo or choose the real stuff at Sushi Cafe.
(5)Patrick H.
Good place to go to get your sushi fix. The quality of the fish is decent and they also have pretty fresh oysters. Service is excellent. Manager also treated us to a round of sake bombs.
(4)Bebe A.
Almost everything is good here. Decent food and price. Love coming here! Every visit is very satisfactory. I always get a bento box but The Happy Hour menu is definitely worth checking.
(5)Karen C.
After saying to myself the last THREE TIMES I came here that I wouldn't go back--I did. For the last time. I ordered take out. I wanted the USA roll with the sauce on the side and with added lemon peel. I also ordered the Hot Summer roll with 'light jalapeno.' That's it. So I drank some sake while I waited for my order, sitting right at the sushi bar. I listened while the sushi chefs made fun of me for ordering light jalapeno. I pointed it out that I was sitting right there and could hear them. They were clearly embarrassed but did not apologize. I paid my $30 and went home. Sauce was all over my USA roll and no lemon peel. The Hot Summer roll was so fishy I couldn't eat it. So I paid $30 for a small hot sake and one roll. Will never ever go back.
(1)Frankie P.
Ordering the right dishes really makes a difference in my rating of sushi cafe. I came here a few years ago and was really disappointed. However, I started coming here again a few months ago and keep coming back week after week for some very specific sushi. The seared tuna and the ponzi tuna on the appetizer menu is always fresh and delicious. The seared tuna is especially meaty and filling. The grilled asparagus is also very good with a touch of heat. I also like the rolls with tempura shrimp, avocado and cucumber. Really, this is all I get now when I come here. There smoked salmon is disappointing and not as fresh as it could be so I always avoid it. Also, all of their rolls come with sauce which is really mayoie for my taste so I ask to leave it off. Their crab rolls are fake crab sticks and spicy tuna is not the good fresh tuna but leftovers all mashed together, or tastes that way anyway, so I just avoid that too. It's not the best sushi I have ever had, but there are some real standout dishes here close to home for a fair price which I really enjoy.
(4)Steph G.
The mutha 'effin OG... Haha...sorry, my pseudo-hoodrat came out. But this is the OG of the Sushi Cafe's and Sapporo... This place holds lots of memories. Memories of being 16 and killin' endless sake bombs at an alarming rate. This place has been here forever it seems, which is also the time span that I've revisited this little peculiar spot. In my small little bubble, Japanese food essentially revolves around how well a place can execute Katsu, preferably chicken, but I'll get down on the pork version too. The fried, breaded goodness that wraps the chicken is delectable, only to be dunked into a tangy, salty sauce that is amazing! Sushi Cafe does fairly well executing this dish. Not my favorite execution, but done okay. Their pork katsu came out looking nicer than my chicken, but the flavor was good. If you aren't a sauce person, ask for it on the side, otherwise they drizzle it on your entree. Being a rather lackluster sushi consumer, I tend to stick to the basics. I got the Land Park roll which is similar to the Fair Oaks roll, if you know Mikuni at all. It was good, simple and basic, just how I like my sushi. I know that everyone needs to be profitable, but I hate when places charge for rice. Seriously, build it into your pricing models of your food. Seeing a $1.50 charge for white rice infuriates the inner Asian in me. I like to think I'm not cheap, because I still order it when I know they will charge me, but a bag of rice costs $10 and it makes like 10 million bowls...no exaggeration or anything ;) Don't expect anything fancy. It's quirky and a little hidden gem on the overabundance of randomness on Freeport boulevard. Servers are kind and hustle, but its nothing to be notably happy about. A local, quirky spot that seems to be getting it right all these years!
(3)Paul R.
November 20, 2013, Wed: Met up with my HPI Paranormal Hotline Operator Sara K. Sinh at this restaurant. She ordered the Pink Lady. I ordered pork, rice, sushi, chicken soup, toss salad. Kim who waited on us was very sweet and friendly. The atmosphere is lively. There are many people there at lunch time. I met Sara today, to pick up some extra copies of the Pocket News (in which I am featured) and later went to the Grocery Outlet in Greenhaven to meet up with the actual reporter Lance Armstrong to get some more copies. I had a pleasant lunch with Sara and look forward to doing this again, at the same restaurant, because the food is so scrumptious!!
(5)James C.
Food is decent but the service is slow. The Alhambra location has much better service.
(3)Celina M.
Their food is delicious. You can always come here and enjoy a good meal.
(4)Maria H.
Discovered it on the way to car wash (Gem) last Saturday for lunch and we loved it so much that we had to go back the next day for dinner:) my boyfriend had fire and Freeport rolls, i had shrimp tempura roll and we both had bento boxes both days. They were all so good! We loved the Sake too lol! Definitely our new favorite Sushi place!!! And the service was so great!!!
(5)Christopher L.
Food here is great! There is a big selection of food and the quality is really high. Staff is super friendly and they always check up on you, never leaving you hanging. Restaurant is moderately lit, not the brightest and over-all Floor space is moderate, not the largest. Great to take friends and families. There is also a Starbucks right across the street to unwind after all the delicious food.
(5)amy b.
Miso ribs....crunchy roll..spicy edamame. .omg it's all so good and fair priced.happy hour is 3.30-5.25 weird time but good
(5)Serena L.
Tasty sushi and totally worth the price. Each roll doesn't taste the same like the cheap 50% of each roll places do. Definately a hidden gem in Sacramento! Friendly staff that are willing to do sake bombs with you. Delish! :-)
(5)L S.
Hidden gem! This place is absolutely delicious. I only go during dinner because the night chef knows his stuff. I am VERY pick about my sushi! And this place is it for me.
(5)Joe L.
I always get the bento and I'm always happy when I do. The sushi is decent, but if you want them riceless wrapped with cucumber instead then it will cost you 3 dollars extra per roll. Other places do this without extra charge and no problems, but they said they could try doing it. It bothered me that they said they would try to do it and charge you extra for trying...
(3)Annie S.
To me, the most important thing is fresh! We have ordered the oyster,sashimi, freeport rol, seared salmon salad, tonkonshu(?)ramen and uni nigiri. Everything was tasty, fresh and great! Ths waited we had was very attentive and friendly. Both my boys asked to come back. Menu has everything that will please everyone and great wine selection. Highly recommended! !
(5)happy d.
We are long time fans of sushi cafe for its smart atmosphere, great service and the freshness and inventiveness of its sushi. We are so lucky to have this downtown type place out in the hinterlands of Land Park! Tonight for some reason did not fancy sushi ( but sig other did) ,so I ordered rib eye dinner for 13.50 instead- what a great value and great choice. The steak was perfectly done m rare, the sauce it was covered in was delectable as were the generous pile of crisp vegies which all arrived on an iron plate with a sizzling flash. As if that were not enough , the dish was accompanied by a combo baked / grilled/ sweet potato( I could have had fingerlings or rice() which was superb in itself. Thanks ,Sushi Cafe..you hit it out of the ball park one more time!
(5)Laszlo M.
Love Happy Hour. FRESH FAST FRIENDLY SERVICE. Take out and bar seating available. Wait during dinner hour can be up to 30 min.
(4)Rebekah C.
Came here last night for my birthday dinner with the parents. We didn't realize you couldn't use coupons with their happy hour. Was going to get sushi rolls but decided to all order bento boxes. Mum had mixed tempura and inari. Dad had pork and chicken katsu. I had saba shioyaki and chicken teriyaki. Each box came with two pieces of California roll, salad, rice, miso soup and an orange slice. The food was good but service was slow. Points for a nice bathroom, which was clean and didn't smell. HOWEVER, when I went to wash my hands and pushed the lever up(it was in the middle position, between hot and cold) I ended up scalding my hands. The water was so friggin hot! It wasn't even in the hot position, either. My skin was stinging the duration of dinner. My father pointed out the sushi chefs appeared to have small glasses of beer on the counter, which they sipped from between making sushi rolls. The girl next to us requested gluten free soy sauce which she was very excited to find they had. I've had better experiences in the past and am definitely willing to give it another try.
(3)Tony M.
This place is wonderful! My wife loves sushi so we go out to sushi restaurants regularly. Then we bought a house in Land Park and decided to try the local sushi restaurant. I would typically get teriyaki chicken or something else that wasn't too exotic. I was extremely hesitant about eating raw fish because it just didn't appeal to me in the least. One of the sushi chefs finally convinced me to try something he made specifically for me. It was a typical sushi roll but he seared the tuna and that opened the door for me. Each time we went I would get a little more adventurous and now I can and will eat just about anything on the menu except for boring teriyaki chicken! I absolutely love the sushi here now and all the chefs are great. They know us fairly well now and take excellent care of us. That isn't to say they weren't friendly before they got to know us because they were awesome even before then. These guys got me to try and enjoy sushi and they will always be my favorite! Oh yeah, the food is outstanding!
(5)Julie L.
During my mother's lunchtime, my mother would pick me up after a long day of Pre-Algebra and Social Science, and order the Freeport Roll. Now that I'm all grown up, I'm free to choose whichever rolls I want. I've tried a lot of their rolls. I'm still in love with their Freeport. The Paradise rolls (spicy scallop, snow crab, shrimp tempura, avocado, fresh white fish, whole roll tempura w/ masago, sauce) and MVR (spicy tuna, shrimp, cucumber, avocado, lemon, white tuna, japlepeno) are fantastic as well. I love their lunchtime Bento; It's a steal. The service is attentive and the atmosphere is lively. The chefs know what their serving and are so upbeat. I love it!
(5)Samantha L.
Cheap prices and okay sushi. It's not spectacular, but it works. The happy hour prices are very fair, with rolls at $5 and yakitori (skewers) at $2. Draft beer is also available starting at $2. When my boyfriend and I visited Sushi Cafe on a Thursday around 5:00 p.m., the place was mostly full (people love happy hour). We were quickly seated and given menus. We asked for a happy hour menu because we didn't see anything about it in the regular menu. We ordered five $5 rolls: Crispy spicy unagi roll: I'm not a big fan of unagi, but my boyfriend liked it. Crispy unagi, jalepenos, cucumber. Land Park: shrimp tempura, snow crab and avocado; it was okay. Rainbow roll: this may be one of the better deals from the $5 list. Each piece had a large piece of sashimi on top. Spicy Cafe roll: another one of the larger rolls from the list. This was probably my favorite. It didn't taste spicy at all, but the shrimp tempura, snow crab, avocado and salmon were a nice combination. Crunchy roll: this was just okay. snow crab, shrimp tempura and avocado topped with tempura crumbs. Overall, the food is decent and the prices are fair (at happy hour). The waitresses are polite and were prompt with our water refills. It's not a fancy restaurant, but it tastes good enough when I'm craving some simple sushi. Notes: -It's located in a small strip mall which has a unidirectional flow of traffic through the parking lot. If someone goes the wrong way, it gets backed up. Usually parking isn't much of an issue though. -Happy hour 2:30-5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
(3)Elaine H.
Honestly this is one of the best sushi restaurants in sacramento. I've searched high and low throughout sacramento for good quality sushi! Sushi cafe is an awesome place for happy hour or just a place to eat! All the workers are super friendly and treat you like family! The oysters are the best! Beware on Fridays it can get a little busy, so try to go a little earlier to get a seat. But best sushi in sacramento!
(5)Jason C.
I watched a staff member drop a tempura shrimp on the floor, pick it up, put it back on the plate and deliver it to the table. Go to another sushi place in the area... There are several better than this.
(1)Alyson M.
This place surprised me! The fish was super fresh and the cuts were generous! I will definitely be going back for more.
(4)Justea B.
Our family LOVES this place. Nice variety, great atmosphere, good service and if I can get my 8 year old twins to pick this place over Chuck.E.Cheese - they must be doing something right! Bryant's Rainbow, Land Park Roll and Katsu Chicken are the go-to items, but the Tempura is wonderful, the Bento Boxes are another fav of my boys and they can eat Miso Soup, Sunimono and Edamame for days.... Good stuff!
(5)Christina M.
Terrible service! Average Food. the food was decent but nothing special. My Fiancee and I were extremely disappointed with the service. Our waiter forgot about us and we had to flag down a waitress every time we needed something. His dinner was brought out about ten minutes before mine and we had to flag down a waitress to ask for it. It had apparently been sitting in the window for a while. We will never go here again, even though it's right down the street.
(1)Yvonne N.
THANK YOU SUSHI CAFE FOR BEING OPEN ON NEW YEARS DAY!!!! After a night of drinking away 2009, I was really craving sushi! I didn't want Chinese food, Mexican food, American food, just SUSHI. We went to soooo many places, all were closed! And even if they were open for the day, they were closed between lunch and dinner and that happened to be the hour we decided to wake up and be hungry. -_- Lunch prices are pretty decent..bento boxes are around $7! Sushi was decent as well, not amazing but good. Sashimi might not be so fresh here. However, I'm giving them another star for incredibly good service and for having a little corner for big parties with their own flat screen TV. The boys really appreciated the access to the football game that day! =)
(4)Veronica C.
I rate the sushi and bento boxes 4/5 stars. The sushi is fresh, tasty, and prepared with care. My 2 favorite rolls are the Land Park and the Marina! The teriyaki is great but the portions are pretty small for the price. I give the service a 3/5 stars. The place is pretty small so it gets crowded fast. When I dined in here a few times, I was waiting for at least 30 minutes to get a table and an additonal 30-45 minutes for the food. I pride myself on being a patient person but this place can put it to the test. If you have the option, I recommend taking the food to go. I call AT LEAST 20 minutes ahead of time before picking up the food and it is at the counter waiting for me. Overall, the sushi is great and is one of my favorite's but I always prefer eating to-go to avoid waiting when I could be eating.
(3)Ted P.
Friendly staff, great ambiance, and awesome prices!!! Don't know why I haven't been frequenting this restaurant! Definitely throwing it in the repertoire from here on out.
(5)Laura S.
Tried this place for lunch on a weekday. Nice quiet, cozy atmosphere, straightforward and easy to sort out menu. Quick, ultra polite service but not overbearing. Miso soup perfect, Wakame salad perfect (Mikuni, take a lesson from this place). I had the cold soba which I haven't had since I lived in Tokyo 20 years ago. Still so yummy. Sushi Cafe will become a regular neighborhood hang out for me, hai!
(5)Whitney I.
The prices are good, the service is okay, but the fish quality could use some work.
(3)Kimmy D.
Delicious!! I go there a lot and the food is high quality a little expensive but worth it! I like the double tuna roll or the Tuna Poki salad they have a good amount of high grade fish and the sauces and spices are just right! I also really like another roll that has spicy lobster in it with a tempura green onion and some other delicious ingredients that make it so well balanced!
(5)Jesse R.
This is by far the BEST sushi place I have ever ate at. On certain occasions I wish Yelp had a 10 star rating for special places because this one would have it. Fresh fish ordered and it always comes out great. Friendly chefs & waitress' and now with the expanded seating area even better.
(5)Jenny I.
Favorite sushi restaurant of all time! Happy hour is the best time to go. Staff is nice and friendly.
(4)Kourtney B.
Came here for happy hour & was totally please with the selection, quality, & quantity of food provided. Beautiful & comfortable on the inside which went along with delicious food. I will definitely be making this a regular come to spot.
(5)Charlotte M.
Mainly posting to let you know our credit card information was stolen here in March 2012, just found out they've been making online purchases for the last week totalling several thousand dollars. Too bad. We enjoyed this place, food was very good but we won't be going back.
(1)Erica M.
Love this place, their service is great, it's small and unpretentious. The rolls are very tasty and the barbecue albacore tuna is delicious!
(5)Thanh B.
I really like the set up of this place. The chairs are comfortable. My friends and I had a big table in the back closed in on 3 walls so it was very cozy. There was also a huge screen television where our seat was and they have a couple more throughout the whole restaurant. Their bento box prices are very reasonable considering how you get 2 items from the choices they provide and it comes with miso soup, salad, and california rolls. It was around $7.50 but my check came up to a little bit above $9 from tax and GRATUITY. (and just because their bento prices are reasonable does not mean everything else is because it isn't ; they do have happy hour though) **YES, they automatically include your tip money into the check. As for their choices for bento box, I felt like there wasn't many variety or some things were just too similar. They had a couple of fish dish which I absolutely would not eat. And they have a couple of teriyaki chicken. I was pretty stuck with which ones to order. On the bright side, they do provide brief descriptions underneath the food's name. I ended up with the Chicken Katsu and the Mixed Tempura. They provided us with a couple dish of the cucumber that comes as appetizer. I loved how it tasted here. It was a lot sweeter. The food took maybe ten minutes or more to come out, which isn't too bad at all. They were pretty busy the day we went. I really liked the salad dressing they had on. It looked like ranch, but it was a lot sweeter and a bit creamy. Their california rolls were great. They provided ginger and wasabi for it on the side. The mixed tempura was also good. It included broccoli, cucumber, carrot, shrimp, and an onion ring. But as for my chicken katsu, it only tasted okay. I thought it actually tasted a bit soggy, somehow. But overall, everything tasted pretty good along with my rice. I really can't complain much because the prices are reasonable. You get what you pay for and I felt like this was particularly true in this case. I'd still rather go a bit down the street to Broadway and eat at Hokkaido, but I'd definitely visit Sushi Cafe again and try something different the next time.
(3)Nick G.
I'm pleasantly surprised with Sushi Cafe. Not much to look at from the exterior (I didn't even know it was there after living in the area for over a year) but a nice find, and I place I'll be frequenting from now on. Prices are a bit steep, service was a little rough, but the quality and quantity of the sushi is very good. We ordered a "small" plate of Sashimi, some tuna and Salmon Nigiri, a Double Tuna roll, and a chicken teriyaki meal for our little one (6 year old). The Nigiri was very well made, with large pieces of fish neatly placed on top. Though I did notice they don't use the sweetened rice which is the traditional way, they just used regular rice instead, and that worked just fine. The dinner plate of Sashimi, labeled "small" in the menu, had many large slices of the chef's choice of fish. I was very surprised by the slices of fish used in the Sashimi especially, but not just there, everything had very generous cuts of fish, which made for a very yummy dinner. And lastly, the Double Tuna roll was also delicious. The children's menu item was also impressive, chicken teriyaki served with a side of rice, some pot-stickers, and 2 slices of a California roll. My young one had no complaints. The only negative was the the wait. They seemed to have lots of help in the kitchen area, but things did not come out quickly at all. Also, the children's plate was brought out a good 15 minutes before everything else, so by the time our food was brought out, my son was just about finished eating. Poor planning on their part.
(4)Collin W.
I think that this place is good for sushi however not the best in Sac. They do have a really good happy hour where it's half off all sushi rolls and they have $2 beers but not a big selection of beers. I don't know if I would come here for lunch or dinner. Maybe only for happy hour because of the prices.
(3)Helen H.
I came here for happy hour. $5 select sushi rolls. I ordered the Godzilla and some other roll I don't remember the name of. When I got them I was totally disappointed, all you can see was rice. All I tasted was rice too. The sushi was comparable to ones you find at large buffets, generic. The other people I was with seemed to enjoy their sushi enough, so maybe I just didn't order the right ones. I doubt I will come back again to test that theory.
(2)Nikki A.
Best service ever. I actually left the restaurant saying "Wow... I haven't received that good of service in a LOOOOOONG time..." and felt guilty for not thanking them more than three times before I left! We were seated right away at the bar (with a plate full of edamame- didn't even have to ask!) so we got to talk to the chef a lot. The dishes were beautiful pieces of art and the food was delicious (I don't even like sushi, and I enjoyed trying a few) .. but what made the night special was the attention and service we received from the staff. * Our chef presented our first dish with "extra thick cuts of fish, since it's your first time here!" -- and he wasn't kidding. He did NOT skimp on the portion size of the fish-- my boyfriend (all 6'6" of him) even thought it was a hefty portion! Delish! I've never seen sushi so thick and juicy! * The second dish was presented with a bit of humor-- a heart-shaped sauce display "for your girlfriend," he said attentively, knowing I would eat that right up (figuratively). So sweet :) * We had already been made to feel like special VIP guests at this point, but the chef came out of the kitchen with Mochi ice cream "on the house!" We devoured the free dessert and left completely satisfied, and in awe of the amazing service. He deserved his tip and we'll definitely be coming back for more! -Nikki
(5)B H.
Went here for dinner tonight. When we arrived around 7ish, it wasn't so busy. We were seated right away, but for some reason we were ignored for a while. No water or cucumber dish for us. The waiter came by and asked us if we were ready to order. We had to order waters while everyone else was getting waters at their tables right when they sat down...strange... When the waiter finally arrived we ordered a "Love Boat." Not the best sushi I've had, but it was okay. The hubby ordered a beer and I an iced tea. The iced tea was okay. He enjoyed his beer. The service was mediocre. Hopefully this was just an off night since it's so close to home.
(3)Cole T.
I like this place. It's pretty close to my house so I can fulfill my sushi craving practically anytime! The sashimi on the rolls seemed to be fresh and they put a lot. Sauces are tasty but similar at all sushi places. Freeport, rainbow, USA, tuna with avocado are all I've tried. All were good and as expected. The Rainbow and USA were my favorites. How can you not like tempura and soft shell crab? The tuna was yummy too; just a simple roll. I'll have to try this place during the day because whoever is rolling these things at the end of the night isn't very good. All of the rolls (except tuna), on two separate occasions, were falling apart. So that's 4 rolls that are hard to pick up or aren't cut all the way through in certain places and the seaweed pulls the piece next to it. This isn't necessarily a deal breaker more just annoyance. And until the day I get fed up with my sushi rolled sloppily I'll come back and probably back again. Haha, I'll put up with some abuse to eat some yummy sushi at good prices.
(3)Joanie H.
Came here with my fiance on a Saturday night. Walked in and were seated pretty fast. The waitress came and asked if we would like something to drink so i asked for hot tea and water. After she came back with our drinks we placed our order. While waiting for our food i realized every table had a cucumber dish and we didn't! Our spicy tuna came and I have to say it was very bland and the rice is soggy! Then the fire roll came which was wrapped with foil and have fire around it. My goodness it tasted like fuel and flavorless. We had two more rolls i was hoping that it'll be good but it was flavorless!! I had to force myself to finish it! The bill came out to be $45 and I was generous enough to give them $5 for tip!! Oh I forgot to mention that tea cost 75 cents! I've never been to a sushi restaurant that charges for tea! All I have to say is this place is flavorless and don't waste your money!
(1)Hilary C.
Sushi cafe is a really great place for Happy Hour! I think it ends at 5:15PM. Until then you can get $5 sushi rolls. They're a little small than the normal rolls one the menu but would leave an average woman full. They also offer small plates between $3 and $8. I tried the fried garlic c chicken for $3 and the ribs (you only get 3) for $5. Another thing they offer is skewers (vegetables and meat) for $2. The beer is $2.50 for a 16 oz. glass. Just make sure you get the before the official end of happy hour because they're sticklers and will not offer you a happy hour menu a minute later. If you're not there for the happy hour menu, their regular menu is quite extensive. If you eat shellfish, I'm sure it's VERY hard to decide on what you want. I can't eat it though, so I stick to chicken. They have really good, LARGE bento boxes with yummy karage and katsu chicken. The veggie tempura is amazing. I don't know how they do it but I wish I did. Overall, I would recommend this place to anyone, even people who don't eat fish.
(5)Megan N.
mmmm. Take-out from Sushi Cafe was the first meal we ate in our house, so maybe I'm a little sentimental...but I love this place! It's a hotspot in my neighborhood and often busy for dinner, but it's worth the wait. Huge selection of rolls--I've liked every one that I've tried. E. doesn't eat fish, but he's always happy with his bowl of Oyako Don. The service has been hit or miss, but I've never been that annoyed with it.
(5)Terence L.
this is the place to go, if you want great food and service. i love how it has a neighborhood feel to it.
(5)Jon M.
Kimchi Ramen!
(5)Casperde F.
Ok , seriously last time. This is a public service announcement. We have been here on and off for years. Live in the neighborhood and my wife no longer will come back because of past sickness issues. So today I bring a friend because "its been long enough let`s try it again" syndrome. Greeted by the remembered fishy smell(not good anywhere including Sprouts!!) See other reviews regarding food poisoning and the pork tonkatsu which is one of the things we had several of which just tasted weird. The proteins are obviously precooked when??? obviously too old and not hot when served. Got back and twenty minutes later pure water for an hour,cold sweats and my friend starts a half hour after that. I just took a break from this as my body is violently rejecting everything we just ate as we speak. please mister inspector spend some of our hard earned tax dollars and get in there and shut this hole down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(1)Nga P.
I am a big critic when it comes to sushi because I have worked at a place before. The happy hour selection was great to choose from. $5 roll is a big bargain. I gave them 4-stars for the food. However, their service was super slow. They need to hire more staff, because after sitting there for 5 minutes, who I can assume is the boss, took our order. He didnt realize we were going to order quite a bit, so he told us to hold on while he went back to grab his note pad. Overall not a bad place to eat cheap sushi for its quality.
(3)Lacy P.
LOVE THIS PLACE!!!!! great food and fair prices.
(5)Jon K.
I went here for a lunch and left pleased. This place has been in business for ten years which to me means that they are doing something right. It was very cozy with lots of TV to watch football on. The staff was very very nice and seemed happy to be there. It was a nice atmosphere and the food was tasty and I had no complaints. I will be returning to this sushi place. I have been to a lot of different sushi places in Sac and this is now one of my favorites.
(5)Mike K.
$5 happy hour rolls! Can't beat the value and atmosphere for a quick n delicious meal!
(5)Vivian P.
Came here with my best friend for Happy Hour last week. It was very delicious - the prices at Happy Hour are EXTREMELY worth it :) We sat at the sushi bar and received great service. The fish was fresh and tasted delicious. For a non-AYCE it's very good and the value as great as well. The restaurant is small but intimate - we will definitely be back :) And next time i'm ready to try some ramen! :)
(5)Jenny M.
I'm usually a fan of Sushi Cafe but I probably won't be coming back anymore. Let's start with the happy hour. The pepperfin is pretty good and for $6.50 it's ok. The giant bacon scallop was $5 and when j received the dish there was only one scallop on a skewer. I wanted to laugh cause I paid $5 for a scallop about a size of a quarter with a strip of bacon and it wasn't even good. The raw oysters here sucks, no flavor at all. Whatever special sauce it says it comes with tastes like nothing . I will stick with boiling crab or firehouse for my raw oysters now. Cheaper and way more tastier ! And not to mention their oysters are about the size of my thumb.. Grilled lettuce were good as usual just salty but that's fine. Marina roll is pretty good here . Every time I come I always ask for the fresh wasabi but it seems that they're always freaking out of it. And I was really craving uni but unfortunately they were out of that too... Pretty disappointed with sushi cafe right now .
(2)Emily H.
Try the creamy magero roll! Yummm :)
(5)Stacey N.
Sesame chicken is quite tasty and their tempura is lightly battered and not too oily. Can't beat getting their bento box (2 items) with rice, miso soup, California rolls (2 pieces), and salad for all under $10. Best deal ever!! For lunch it's like $8.
(4)Natalie R.
By far one of the best sushi places.. Very kid friendly too... My son loves it as well... And you can't beat 1.50 sake bombs
(3)Christine E.
If you up the ante on the service it would get all 5 stars! I come here a lot with family and the food is always good. Service is ok. It does get quite busy and parking can be limited because of the location (narrow strip shopping center). It can get loud but its the fact you have large tv monitors and you sit in close quarters to one another. Other than that its a great place for Japanese food! and very family friendly!
(4)Mariah R.
Great date spot and good service, love the happy hour!
(4)Nataliya C.
It's a very cute neighborhood place that is literally 2 minutes from my house so it's location is a bonus. The fish quality is very good and very fresh. The bad news is that the staff is not careful or well understanding of the food allergy. i am allergic to gluten and have let the waitress know about this as soon as we sat down. she 'appeared' knowledgeable about it and told me what rolls i can have that will be cooked without breading and that sauce would come on the side. They did have gluten free soy sauce. 2 rolls came and they were good. 3rd roll we ordered comes and it has seared ahi on top. I take a bit and realize as i am chewing that the ahi appears to be breaded call the waitress over and she says 'oh, i am sorry, i forgot about that, let me get you a new one'. At this point, it's too late for me. I am gonna get sick as i took a bite with bread crumbs in it. and most interesting part was that it was not removed from the check either. no manager came to apologize. it was a non-event.
(2)Z R.
Food ok. Service subpar. Ordered a kid's lunch bento & they got the order wrong. Didn't want to send it back because who knows how long it would've taken to correct it. I ordered a two item lunch bento (teri salmon & honey crispy pork ribs). The food quality was good...portions small (salmon 1/3 size of my palm & two small ribs). Both were really yummy. I just wish there was more. Perhaps the dinner portions are bigger. Two others in my party said their food was okay. (One ordered sushi & said it was good fresh fish.) Once we got our food, we were never checked on. Hence, our beverages never got refilled. When one person at our table had a plate to clear away, they immediately returned with our check. Umm, I wanted dessert! Nevermind. 3 stars because of the service.
(3)Rory L.
I've been here three times recently and have mostly been disappointed. The service is good, but the food is not the best. I ordered the spicy scallop nigiri, and they used cheap imitation scallop salad instead of fresh scallop. But the biggest problem is that the rolls all have way too much sauce, and it is very sweet. If that's your thing, enjoy, but I found that I couldn't really taste anything but sweet sauce. Not planning to go back.
(2)Jason O.
Came here on the recommendation of our dog breeder, wasn't expecting much based on the location and decor. Everything we had was delicious. Our rolls were nice, the fish was fresh and the rolls were large and tasty. I also had a bowl of the udon which was delicious. They had gluten free soy sauce available which was nice, and the bill was very reasonable given that we ordered a ton of food. Sacramento may be a little cheaper than Silicon Valley, but this still felt like a terrific value to me. We'll be back.
(5)Tina D.
Happy hour is from 2:30-5:25. Not sure on which days. My boyfriend and I come here for there happy hour special. They have the best pepperfin. I've tried it at other sushi restaurants but nowhere tops this place. The pepperfin literally melts in your mouth and the ponzu sauce makes it even better. We also like the sushi cafe roll and the chefs special roll. And they have Sapporo and blue moon on tap for $2.50 during HH.
(5)Alyssa C.
If you have a gift certificate from Sushi Cafe, make sure that you check which location it's from. My family tried to use a gift certificate that we got for Christmas at the Freeport location last night, but it was not accepted because it apparently was only valid at the Alhambra location.
(1)Chris W.
Pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. Very light fluffy shrimp tempura and good rolls. The shopping center it's housed in looks a little dated but don't let that stop you from checking this place out
(4)Marlena P.
Happy hour was amazing! Order like 5 different (full size) rolls, Pepperfin, spicy ck skewers, and a bunch more. They're pretty busy so just be a little patient. Complimentary Mochi ice cream for our table. Price is cheap (during happy hour 5$ rolls).
(4)Hydrogirl R.
We live in the neighborhood and eat here about 3 times year, but after last night experience, we wrote this place off. The restaurant was very dirty. The tables and booths were sticky and smelled sour, and the place just had a "dirty laundry" smell about. There were piles of dirty dishes very close to the food preparation area. The have added more tables so your siittng on top of one another, and depending where your seated, the waiter is crawling over you to serve others around you. The womens bathrooms was absolutely discusting, and my son reported to me that there were no paper towels or soap in the men's bathroom and the sink was "grody".........and these people are preparing your food! YUCK. Don't do it Sacramento! There are far better, cleaner sushi restaurants nearby.
(1)Amanda R.
Sushi cafe on free port has the freshest fish ever! Chef Jeffrey makes the best nigiris ever! If you are a sushi lover, ask them for different variety of fishes !
(5)Martha M.
Very disappointing....nobody would make eye contact with us...place wasnt that busy...but could tell they wanted nothing to do with us...2 tables got there orders taken before use they had just got there...and weve been waiting for 20 min....but wont be going back again. Sad cause it was a place near by ill just stay with arogotos. Where they actually smile at there guest an say hello. Sorry to have bothered u sushi cafe.
(1)Summer M.
How did I miss out on Sushi Cafe for so long? Came here recently with a friend and it was fantastic. Cozy atmosphere, Very friendly staff, the sushi bar guys are hilarious, prompt service, reasonable prices, and the FOOD oh my Buddha the FOOD! We ordered a Hot Summer roll (don't I have to with this name?) and a Land Park roll. The Hot Summer (salmon, jalapeno, avocado, spicy tuna & scallop) was great- spicy but not too hot for a spice wimp like me. You could also dip it into the small inland sea of sriracha that is artistically poured onto the plate if you want it hot. But the Land Park (tempura shrimp, crab, avocado & masago) really blew me away. The taste was just exquisite. Finished the meal off with sake bombs poured by smiling sushi chefs, and bickity BAM! Now that's a dinner experience :)
(4)Susan M.
They are always busy so plan accordingly. We usually get take out and are always satisfied. The Rainbow roll, double tuna, and the Eel roll are our favorites.
(4)Angie L.
The food is good but the service sucks... They serve Asian people first and give them all the attention. That's bad business to treat other customers this way when we are paying too. I have been here many times. At first I thought it was just me but another friend said they experienced the same thing.
(2)Diane G.
Definitely no mikuni but this place is so close to my house and always has good service and good sushi. Great spot for a quick casual dinner
(4)Tom S.
Went here for lunch. I've heard lots of good things but I did not find that. We ordered two different rolls. The Rainbow Roll was good. The second roll - Alhambra or Freeport I do not recall, had some kind of sauce that looked and tasted like Ranch Dressing that wasn't good and overpowered any flavor from the roll. The place is very cramped. Used the WC. I had to walk around an occupied table that was uncomfortably close to the WC door. Service was just ok but the servers were jammed by the lunch rush. My friend wanted a Cantonese speaking server and they had one. I would not go back.
(2)Dave C.
This is our local sushi restaurant and unfortunately it is just so-so. The sushi is of decent quality but nothing special or unique. The prices are too high for what you get. The service is sub-par. Their happy hour is from 2pm to 5:25pm, how strange is that. Went there last night for takeout and brought a two dollar off coupon, the coupon was expired by a couple of days and they refused to honor it. That act kind of boils down their entire business philosophy. Get the most profit and and provide as little as possible. Sacramento has some incredible sushi joints and I think I will be skipping this place in the future and give my money and support to a business that values its customers as much as its bottom line.
(1)Jessica V.
Terrible Service. Everything we ordered was wrong. Felt bad for the one lady trying to make it better for us, she really deserved the tip.
(2)Ronnie D.
Great customer service! Their plates were chipped around the edges. Their BBQ where dry their sauce was too overpowering maybe to make up for the dryness. They have a mosquito problem. The tempura was overcooked. Great venue!
(2)amy m.
Let me preface that the wait here is stupid long, in a restaurant which was not extremely busy. Seated... Waited 10 min to get order taken, few minutes later our complimentary cucumber salad (tiny but appreciated) arrives... 5 minutes later we had to get up and get our own chopsticks and napkins, so that we can eat the salads. Our first sign this is heading south. Child meal comes after 20 mins... my son guiltily ate his bento lunch alone and tried not to finish before out lunch arrived. 15 minutes later our tiny Adult Bentos come out to the table...we both order tempura, but only my husbands comes out with dipping sauce, so we share. Flavor is good but a bit on the oily/soggy side. My daughters were not hungry so they ordered dessert to eat with us. Mochi ice cream which is pre-made (store bought) and virtually took no effort to make, other than slice them into quarters... This came out last which was by then a 50 minute wait. Now, I am a pretty patient person, and I like to give positive reviews. So I will end on a positive note. Rates are reasonable as is the food. But be prepared to wait a long time for average food.
(2)Gioconda S.
My parents and I were one of the first families to eat at sushi cafe when it opened 12+ years ago, it has remained our favorite place since. Original sushi chefs and owner. We love them and dinner never lacks that comfortable extended family vibe. When I say sake you say bomb! Sake, bomb! Sake, bomb!
(5)Sarah E.
A friend and I skipped class to come eat here for the happy hour lunch special. I ordered the rainbow roll, it was pretty good. It was $5. I also got the grilled shiitake mushroom on a stick for an extra $2. The employees were very friendly and we got all of our food within 10 minutes.
(5)Sharon M.
Tonight I didn't feel like a sandwich, so I saw Sushi café near the Togos, so I decided to give it a try. I ordered to go, and they said my order would be ready in 15 minutes. I ordered a dinner bento box which included salad, 2 pieces of a California roll, and two entrée items and rice.. I got the teriyaki steak and curry chicken. They had placed the curry in a separate container so points for that! I brought it home and liked everything I ordered. Next time I may try the spinach beef ramen. I will try there again. Plus, my dinner totaled like under 13$.
(4)Suzanne R.
The service here varies between horrendous and okay. It's hit or miss, unfortunately. We always like the food, but sometimes we avoid going because we must plan on the possibility of being there for a really long time. I will say, the Yaki Ramen is to die for.
(3)Mei W.
Freshness is not found here! I came here one afternoon with my hubby after work. I ordered their Pepperfin and Bryant's Rainbow Roll. My hubby ordered off the happy hour menu - fried chicken and squid skewers. The Pepperfin was okay. I've certainly had better at Taro's where it is a lot fresher. I felt like the fish was cut in slices that were too thick; it felt like a mouthful each bite! (But that's just me.) The fish on the Bryant's roll was also the same; not very fresh. The plate did look amazing! But unfortunately it tasted a little dry to me. It may be the fish not being fresh that threw off the taste? I did enjoy the sauce that complimented the rolls. The fried chicken on the other hand was not what we expected, lol. We thought they were going to be fried chicken wings with the bone in - but they were actually just popcorn chicken! My hubby did not enjoy their squid skewers at all, he took one bite and did not bother eating the rest. Service here is also a 1 star! After the lady served our food, that was the last we saw of her. We didn't get a refill on our drinks, not even once! We had to waive her down a few times for her to bring our check. Ah, we certainly won't be back for sushi at this place! If you want good sushi, I suggest you pay the extra bucks and eat at Taro's. That's the best sushi joint in Sacramento at least.
(1)Shane T.
Seriously Sushi Cafe Yelper's get a grip. This place is cheap and that makes it OK. The food at best is mediocre. If you gave this five stars or more you were seriously hungry and on a budget. They do have some expensive rolls. I will never again buy the lobster roll for fifteen bucks. I've included a picture. It did have nice and neat presentation but I was hoping for more sizzle to the steak prices I paid for it. I live in the neighborhood so when I want inexpensive sushi I get my 5.00 off coupon from the local shopper ad's and me and the family head over. I've been here at least a dozen times and all I can say at best is it's OK. Nothing to rant or yelp about. Service is OK, not too bad or impressive. In fact when I think about my overall experiences here I'm hard pressed to recommend it. Overall its reaching to be just called an average experience. No hard feelings..Just not that great!
(2)rosalinda f.
2 stars because the fried stuff, aka tempura is awesome. 1 star for the fresh stuff, like sushi, tastes fishy. The tekka roll was dark. The una kyu (unagi) was mealy. The BBQ tuna tastes like chicken but not in a good way. They have a ton of fish out so my theory is it gets old. Not sure why they don't buy less to maintain the quality. This used to be my favorite place. Although their shirts are adorable, I doubt I'll be back. Unfortunately, mikunis still has the freshest fish with tight rolls and consistent flavors.
(2)Hieu N.
The sushi here is freaking delicious! Sure it's a bit pricey but they give you quite a lot. I come during happy hour so it would be cheaper. The Godzilla roll is absolutely amazing. The waiters and waitresses are nice but sometimes you could see them slacking off. I love the sauce that they put on the salad I wish I could just take a whole jar home lol
(4)Victor M.
Their menu changed and looks like portions are now smaller. :(
(4)Kellie G.
I've came here almost everytime I've wanted sushi. Usually get Shrimp Tempura, Miso Soup and the Land Park Roll. Its delicious!!! Every time I've went. There has never been a wait time, I've always been sat immediately. The tables are comfortable and sitting at the sushi bar is nice. I've never had a problem with anything I've gotten and everything is always fresh and hot. The waiters are good too, always checking to see if everything's ok, brings the check when finished. I've never had any problems with this place. I'll forever return. Lol I recommend this place to everyone!!
(5)Davina C.
What can I say, food would do if I was starving to death. I ordered Bento box and soup. Our food took at least 25 min to come out. Service was the worst part of the whole experience. Nobody checked on me EVER. Had to flag down waiter to get refill and the place was empty besides me and 2 other tables. Definitely not Mukinis or even close.
(2)Leslie A.
This is a cool little spot, right the corner from Sac City. I love coming here during happy hour, for 2 dollar drafts and $5.00 rolls, I can get full and not be broke after I leave! Good service, great food and nice decor!
(4)Robert B.
Favorite sushi happy hour in the area, the prices are great at $5 a roll along with a decent selection of beer for a fair price.
(4)Alex T.
uauslly come here for their happy hour sushi rolls and a beer. the bad thing about the beer is that its on tap. the sushi quality is usually pretty good. the service is ok and the price is affordable during happy hour. will be back when ever I crave sushi.
(3)Elena L.
My friend chose to come here for her going away dinner. I really like sushi, so of course I was down to go. When we arrived we were seated right away and offered water. The waiters and waitresses seemed very attentive and were constantly refilling our cups, which was nice. I ordered a rainbow roll and was really underwhelmed. First of all, it took forever for the rolls to come out. By the time I got my order, the rest of the people in my dinner group were almost done with their food.The roll itself was really small for the price ($9.00) and the sashimi on it tasted like it was sitting out for a while. The inside filling tasted like straight up mayonnaise. Overall, it was a mess. The only good thing I ate from there was the complimentary strawberry gummy that came with the check.
(1)Alex A.
The food here is standard, but the service needs major improvement. Arriving around 7 it took nearly 45 minutes for our dinner to arrive, and even then it was wrong as I had ordered the Teriyaki Chicken Bento box and got the Sesame Chicken. After mentioning it to the server, he took out his ticket book and looked back at us. With my guest hungry I accepted the order. No apology or mention of the mistake. Our Sake' was lukewarm, and even getting our appetizer (Wakame' salad) took over 30 minutes. The kitchen was packed with servers, and there were a lot of hands on deck. I was disappointed to see guests who had been sat after us receiving their food before us - same type of Bento box dinner. I'll have to be really out choices to go here again.
(2)Kathy Y.
I originally wanted to go to Akebono (which I love) but saw Sushi Cafe and decided to give it a try. It's a small place and decor is contemporary. Servers were friendly and prompt; the sushi chef was even engaging in conversation with the patrons sitting at the bar. They give complimentary cucumber salad. I didn't see the poki salad on the menu so I asked the server instead, and they did have some, yay! The poki salad was good; the tuna was fresh and there was the right amount of sauce at the bottom of the bowl. I also had the veggie tempura, which was also very good. The tempura was not oily at all, with just the right amount of breading -- and the best part, it was warm when they brought it out! The Cafe Special roll was alright, nothing wrong with it. The size of the roll is average. I'm sad my camera on my phone is broken. It would have been nice to take some pictures of the dishes! Anyways, since I missed happy hour this time, I will definitely be coming back during happy hour --- only $5 rolls!! =)
(4)sallianne m.
It all started one evening ages ago when, enjoying a nice dinner out, my daughter and I had the misfortune of sitting near a couple of extraordinarily rude patrons who were just brutalizing the sweet gal who was serving us. You know the type -- the kind that complains about everything, sends stuff back, asks to see the manager, and really all they want is to see how much they can get discounted from their meal. My girl and I were overcome with sympathy for the server, and after they left we told her not to worry. She was just perfect and the food was great and don't take it personally -- not that she was complaining -- she was way too professional for that -- but it was hard for us to stand by and watch folks subject others to such rude treatment, all in the name of saving a buck. After that, my girl started wanting to come here once a week, to see our server Corinne. We bonded. And now we're here either Tuesday or Wednesday each week, to be served Ross's special surprise, a side of sesame chicken, grilled asparagus, and some pepperfin. Plus a giant glass of Kendall Jackson chard and a Shirley Temple. And we sit wherever Corinne is serving. We love this place so hard, the food is great, the service is perfect, and we really love the people who work here.
(5)My M.
I would give this place a one star; however, their food was semi-decent. I am knocking this place predominately for their customer service. Although there were about eight workers (waiters, waitresses, hostess, front counter folks, sushi chefs) who clearly saw us standing and waiting for a while, not a single person acknowledged our existence. I would understand if they were busy and it was jammed pack, but the place was empty on Labor Day. Once we were seated, our food came out at strange times. My salad came after my sushi dinner plate was delivered. Appetizers came out at the same time as dinner plate. Drink refills were scarce. I felt like our server was a robot. I don't expect someone to wait on us hand and feet, but come on! A little smile or kindness would suffice. Won't be returning here. What a shame...it's super close to my home too and may have been a regular spot.
(2)Alec T.
This place is cheap, close to Land Park, and has good food. Those are it perks. Its a great place to come to get a bite of eat with your family, but I wouldn't take someone here on a date. The parking lot is small, and the inside it is very cluttered. Tables are jammed inside, patterned sheets cover the windows, and oscillating fans sit atop a desk by the door. They also brought out food with several minutes between the first and last dish, which is just uncomfortable. But that's enough of my griping. The servers were all very friendly. The menu was full of everything you could want. All the food was awesome and I'll be sure to return again.
(4)Mike E.
Mikuni's lied to all off us! Sa never left sacramento and now he is here. Best sushi chef I have ever had and am happy to have him walking distance from my house. Sa salad and a roll of his choice is my order and I have never been disappointed
(5)Margaret L.
I came here for happy hour, and it's odd but their happy hour ends at 5:25pm. I think service was mediocre during happy hour. I feel like they can get pretty busy. I enjoyed the food I ordered, I felt like it was definitely reasonable for the price. I got the dragon roll and pepper fin. The pepper fin was definitely on the spicier side, it had an enormous kick to it. Parking was easy, there was lot of parking but the parking lot only goes one direction so if you saw a parking spot you wanted but passed it. You'll have to loop around. I think I'll be coming back.
(4)Noea P.
Reasonable price. Been here twice, ordered 4 different sushi rolls with my sister and never got disappointed. Discovered firedragon sushi here, I love it! Japanese ambience (of course. Lol) small but more than decent place. My go to sushi place in South Sac for now, it's really close to Sac City College xD
(5)Allison L.
My boyfriend and I frequent Sushi Café pretty often because it is the closest sushi place from Pocket, it's tasty, and the prices are pretty reasonable. My house usually gets sent coupons in the mail too. We're seated right away upon arrival and if there's a wait (which is rare), it's never more than 5 minutes. My boyfriend and I usually share a bento box and a roll, which is enough for the two of us. We either get the sesame chicken or steak teriyaki with vegetable tempura. The vegetable tempura typically includes: squash, carrot, broccoli, zucchini, eggplant, and onion. Miso soup, rice, salad, two pieces of California roll, a slice of orange, and tempura sauce (obviously) also come with the bento. The tempura batter is light, crispy, and fried to golden perfection. It's not that heavy batter other restaurants have that hurt the roof of your mouth when you bite it. The steak is tender and flavorful, while the sesame chicken is crispy. Our favorite roll is the Café Special. The shrimp tempura inside is crispy and goes well with the snow crab meat and creamy avocado. The salmon on top is always fresh and the sweet unagi sauce adds the perfect touch. The roll is a pretty decent size too - about 9 pieces. We have been here once for happy hour once, which was a great deal. The rolls are still the same size as usual and just as tasty. We got five rolls ($5 each) which was way too much for the two of us. The Crunchy Roll, Spicy Café, and Dragon Roll ($2 extra) were our favorites. The Godzilla Roll was tasty, but because the whole roll is deep fried and there is cream cheese inside, it became a little much (my boyfriend also doesn't like cream cheese so I had to eat most of it). The Spicy Ungagi roll was also a bit too spicy for us because the slices of jalapenos inside. Even when we removed the jalapenos, it was still spicy haha. Happy Hour is Monday - Friday 2:30-5:25 and dine-in only. We've tried the taro flavored ice cream before and it was very good! We were told Gunther's makes that flavor special for them and one other Thai restaurant. It was very creamy and not too sweet. It was both of our first time trying taro ice cream and we are now fans. The waiters/servers are all in their 20s/early 30s so they're very friendly and accommodating. They're quick with the water refills, but not too excessive. Usually we're given pickled cucumbers as an appetizer, which I do not care for, but it's a nice gesture. Overall, I would recommend Sushi Café because it is delicious, fresh, fairly priced, and friendly. I'd give it a 3.5 but rounded up because their food is consistently tasty and I've never had a bad experience.
(4)Nan L.
We eat here occasionally hoping for better service but each time it gets worse but after last Thursday ...we will never return! My little one and I stopped there for dinner on Tuesday night , I ordered chicken Katsu bowl but it was so awful!The chicken were not crispy at all but worst of all the waitress never came to check on us.When it was time to pay, I've left my wallet in my car .so I ask the waitress if I can go to my car to grab my wallet , I told her she can see my car from the restaurant...she said no but she can check with her manager. Omg! This place has the WORST customer service!lol
(1)Jamie B.
Just ate here yesterday and got here around 4:30pm with being one of the 4 families. The waitress is great and it smells good. We order a salmon dinner, a chicken teriyaki bento box for kids, the sac roll, pink lady and the fire starter. So so good! Everything looked and tasted amazing. Will be coming again.
(4)Steph G.
I mainly come here for Happy Hour which is Monday-Friday 2:30-5:30pm. $5 sushi rolls and other good, cheap appetizers. Service: - We were seated quickly and the table and seats were clean. - Waitress took our order quickly, asked if we were okay and came by to refill our water often. - Mom felt the food took a while to arrive but since I was home visiting, our long conversations passed the time. Food: - We ordered 2 Rainbow rolls, 1 Godzilla roll, 1 Chef's Special roll, 1 chicken skewer ($2) and 1 calamari skewer ($2). - Both rainbow rolls were tasty, the fish was cold and fresh - Godzilla roll tasted good with the avocado, cream cheese, crab and fried tempura surrounding it. Sauce was a good pairing with it. - Chef's special is good every time I get it. It's a fried sushi roll wrapped with seaweed, stuffed with cream cheese and salmon and topped with creamy sauce. - Chicken skewer was tender and had good teriyaki flavor - Calamari skewers were tasty and pretty good for only $2. I'm finally used to its tough texture. Ambience: - Dim inside but not too dark. They have a lighter section for those who want a window view! Overall: - Cute small sushi place convenient whenever I'm in Freeport. Happy Hour is always a great deal! Tips: - Try the Chef's Special roll on the HH menu! It's my favorite. Try that one or the Godzilla roll. Both are creamy and crunchy.
(4)Abigail L.
I came here on a weeknight and the placed was packed. I haven't been here since high school and it seemed like they expanded the place which was nice. The service was good about taking our orders and refilling our water. I tried the hot dream roll which was pretty good but a tad overpriced for what it was. I also had a bite of the steak dinner entree which was perfectly cooked and had a great sear. I tried a bite of the ramen and I didn't care for the noodle consistency. All in all service was good, food was decent but a tad overprice. This place is close to my house so it is convenient.
(3)Miss H.
I've been going here since I was in 4th or 5th grade. They helped me open my eyes to delicious Uni! They might be on the slightly expensive side of the "cheap" scale for prices but they make up for it in quality-- and they have a happy hour menu (which includes alcohol) Food is always fresh, fish is fresh, they have good sake and their staff is very friendly and very attentive. Because of all of this they are VERY busy and I understand if the staff gets overwhelmed and forgets a drink-- that's okay because once you bring it to their attention they make up for it completely and immediately get what was forgotten. Great place. Freeport Roll is delicious As is the deep fried quid
(5)Krystle P.
They have great customer service! Owner and waiters are wonderful seafood is fresh! It does get crowded but it a great place also they get the food out to you ASAP.
(5)Jade L.
Went during happy hour. Unimpressed. Pepper Fin tasted good, just a little on the salty side. (My friend said to cal it Salty Fin..womp-womp!) The rolls I ordered, were on a lean, falling apart. I'm quite skilled with chopsticks, so I was hardly deterred. Well, the Sunshine Roll (I mistakenly called it Rainbow Roll in my pics ) had cucumbers, which I normally like, but in this roll it created a slimy consistency with every bite. Like buying into an okra! Weird. The Hot Tiger Roll was really good. Really spicy (there's a tempura fried jalapeño in it) but pretty good! The service was slow. I saw on other reviews that during happy hour it seems like the norm. The price was great though....for the two rolls, pepper fin sashimi, and a bento box with both chicken and salmon in it, we left spending under $30. Not bad. Would I go again? Only if someone else made me and id rather pay a little more and love everything I eat..
(2)JB Y.
Terrible. That sums up everything. Go to akebono it's the best hands down in Sacramento. Anyway so we decided to try something new because akebono was full. I warned my family this place has bad reviews.... But they still wanted to give it a shot. Well the ratings speak for itself because it did suck. First I ordered sesame chicken but it looked like katsu with five Sprinkles of sesame seeds. Wtf is that!? My dad ordered a spider roll but later found out it was missing the masago. Luckily they apologized and gave us a discount. Still would've been nice to know before ordering. We asked for a refill of hot tea and they gave us hot water lol. Everything is over priced for the quality and portion size they serve. Even their tap water taste unusually tappy. Save yourself some money and don't go here. You will be disappointed.
(1)Rachel G.
I usually get a bento box, sesame or teriyaki chicken but everything its actually really tasty. Always busy with all the locals in the neighborhood. $1 saki bombs so we always hit that up. Fresh sushi, get some spicy edameme and a Kirin Ichiban and catch a Kings game. Nice decor and ambience always friendly service.
(5)Simone A.
Very inexpensive but you get what you pay for. I got the California roll which was made with a very unripe avocado, and the land park which was pretty nasty. I would definitely not come back again. I got a to go order and when I got home I realized there was a rubber band in the toppings of one of my rolls.
(1)Jewls A.
I like sushi cafe specially during lunch time. Food is good, prices are good. They have many choices of food from soups, sushi, bento box.
(4)Steph M.
One of my most favorite places to visit when I'm craving sushi! Service is always superb and they try to seat everyone as quickly as possible even though the restaurant itself is quite dainty. My favorite dishes include the albacore Pepperfin, tuna sashimi platter, bento box with chicken teriyaki and beef teriyaki, lamb chops (seasonal item), croquettes, and the uni and quail egg! The sushi is always fresh and everything is decently priced. If you're on a budget I suggest going during lunch or happy hour!
(5)Grace B.
We were a party of 5. What a cool place. My friends and I tried this place right before class because we wanted to try it out. We always passed by on freeport and we just had to try it. We were attracted to the $5.00 sushi rolls happy hour. That was one of the reasons why we walked in. ENVIRONMENT The place looked slightly dimmed. The warm colored walls and the seats were very cooshy and soft. Very comfortable! FOOD I know I said earlier that we were attracted to the sushi rolls, but I couldn't pass up to try their TAN TAN MEN noodle soup. That was what I ordered. My friends ordered rolls and they couldnt finish it. So I tried tasting those too. TAN TAN MEN - To me it had a deep flavor. It is pretty unique from other restaurants in Sacramento that do make it. It was very delicious. I had to eat it really fast because class was going to start within that 30 min period when my food arrived to the table. Slightly spicy. I ordered it this way because I knew I had to woof it down because of class. I dont think I couldve eaten that quickly if it was SUPER spicy. But I loved my tan tan men. GODZILLA ROLL - That was the name of the roll that I remembered. Easy to remember the name but I really enjoyed it a lot. The other rolls, I didnt remember the names but one was crunchy and the other had a spicy kick. Overall I enjoyed all the rolls that was ordered. It was super delicious. GRIPE Okay it was a great restaurant. The only gripe I had was that it took 25 min to prepare our food. I was rushing back to class. But it could also be our fault because I told the waitress to make sure my soup was done the same time as the sushi rolls so that we can eat at the same time. That could be why. So no problem! Not taking away any stars. TRY AGAIN? Yes I will definitely try again. I enjoyed the food. I wanna try their other stuff too.
(5)Christian C.
A little crammed inside, but what sushi place isn't? I went here around a month ago so I can't remember specifically what I ordered. During happy hour is when you really want to go, especially for your wallet. The family had a couple sushi rolls, chicken on a stick?, oyster shots and sesame chicken and ramen noodle bowl. Everything tastes really good. No complaints at all. Had to give this 4 stars because of so many sushi places I've been to and 5 stars means you are over the top in my book. I would definitely go here again. They had great customer service when we came here, which is good. Judging from other reviews , good customer service is inconsistent here. Overall, just a very solid sushi place to go to.
(4)Olivia G.
One the best sushi restaurants in the area. Unlike most sushi places I've been to, this one uses real crab meat and not the imitation stuff. My favorites are Bryant's Rainbow roll, Dream roll and Cafe Special roll. Definitely must try the shrimp tempura; the batter is so light and flaky! One star off for the service- it can be slow at times.
(4)Remi R.
Best place near my house. Ross the sushi chef is a genius. I do not even look at the menu when I am visiting. I let him take charge and he never disappoints. My seven year old daughter loves the rolls and the salads he makes specially for her. Great place for launch, dates, special events, or just to keep up with the diet!!!!
(5)Jacobi M.
ok So I was looking for a sushi spot for a first date in this area and this place and akebono and this place kept popping up as the main two. accession has slightly better reviews so i chose that spot first. We got there and it was incredibly crowded which i know means theyre good but I hate big crowds and wait lists. So we headed up the road to sushi cafe. It was quiet, clean and had a great atmosphere. I ordered the rainbow and several others. Sorry i can't remember the names of most rolls. everything was good and the service was fine. Not amazing but fine. I would come here again with no problem. side note after I saw it it turns out I had been to akebono several years before. Their sushi might be more plain- that is with less sauces but maybe it was just what I ordered. basically since I know most people will compare these two, I would say that they're both good and unless you are a sushi snob - and i'm sure there's plenty- you'll be fine with either one but I would rather have a quiet atmosphere so i would choose sushi cafe.
(3)Gina H.
This place has the worst damn service anyone can think of. My 5 sushi rolls look like it was jus TOSSED on there. We ordered sushi & didn't finished it. A rude waitress, she has glasses about 5'2, rung me up & said " just so you know, when you come back, I can't let you take the sushi home. " Along with that they took so long to make it, when I kindly asked her if it was being prepared she said to me " you need to wait there is only one guy making the sushi." She said it so rude. When I asked for the number to her manager she told me that she didn't have it! I was so furious. I paid for it & left. They have such rude service. Never going again. Not even one damn star if I damn could.
(1)Lola C.
Today I was eating lunch around 1:30pm. It was pretty busy. There were only 2 servers on the floor running around. I still got my food on time. I ordered a bento with salmon teriyaki and mixed tempura! It was so delectable. The salmon was moist and fresh. Since there was a lunch rush, the servers were still efficient on checking on their guests. I noticed there was a big commotion with a customer. She was seated in the far back with her family for a couple of minutes. Next thing you know, she went crazy on the servers. She was impatient and used profanity. It stunned the whole restaurant. Obviously she came in the wrong restaurant, this isn't fast food. If she was on a timely schedule, she shouldn't be dining there in the first place. The servers were professional and did their best to continue on with their tasks. This is my 8th time dining at sushi cafe. I always had excellent service! Good food and selections.
(5)Sherry L.
Delicous, came here during lunch hours (11am - 3:30pm). I ordered a Bento box for $7.95, which comes with califronia roll (two pieces), spring mix salad, miso soup, rice and your choice of 2 items. I picked the sesame chicken and the chicken katsu--both pretty good, nice and crispy. The sesame chicken was also deep fried. I like the mix salad, it's in a creamy dressing, I'm not sure what but likely has mayo in it. The miso soup was nice and hot, but it's a little salty to me but that's just me. I like the Sac State roll (11.95), gently spicy and tasty. ^_^ Overall, a nice experience eating here! ^_^
(5)Alex H.
Decent take-out experience. The special rolls are pretty typical but a few are more interesting. Really liked the creamy masago roll but the MVR was disappointing; no evidence of lemon anywhere, and the spicy sauce (sriracha mayo?) didn't work. The SF giant was pretty good, but no tobiko? Maybe their online menu is not correct? It's the kind of sushi place with lots of "special" rolls with the kitchen sink, tempura-fried and sauced. Great if that's what you're going for. Limited selection of simpler rolls, the nigiri and sashimi options are standard. If I lived in the neighborhood it'd be a nice place to stop by once in a while but there are better options not far away if you're getting in the car anyway. The reviewer who said it's the closest sushi place to the Pocket must be high, by the way. Banzai is right in the middle of the Pocket and Akebono is on the way... That doesn't really mean anything about the quality of Sushi Cafe but I had to point it out. Unless you live at The Westin right at the northernmost tip of _little_ Pocket, there's no way this is closest.
(3)Mai S.
I'm so disappointed. I've been eating here for 2years. This time all the rolls were soggy. The rice keeps falling apart and the Avocado on the roll looks old. The Abacore was overly cooked. Food service is super slow, there was only 3 tables in the morning but servers are slow and keeps forgetting utensil. I had big disappointment.
(2)Cristian G.
First time eating sushi and had a overall good experience. Went with a large group of friends, we were seated surprisingly quick even with nine people, and I could say we had a very good time. The food looked and tasted delicious and the prices were reasonable. The wait time for our food wasn't to long (depending what you get) and my Chefs Choice took longer than expected to arrive, but it was well worth the wait once it did. We will be returning again hopefully very soon.
(4)Keeley A.
This is a reluctant 4 star review. Sushi Cafe is pretty good - but there's room for improvement. I think they get the 4th star for having a well-priced happy hour. I had a Fat Tire beer for $2.50. That's hard to beat. My husband and I have been here just once, though I'm sure we'll go again. He's vegan, and the Happy Hour has no Veggie rolls, but he made do. I had the pepperfin, because of all of the raves on Yelp, and I have to say I just don't get what is the big deal. It was okay, but I wouldn't order it again. A little bland, though the jalapeno pepper slices were nice. The chicken skewers for $2.00 Happy Hour price was a good deal. The veggie skewers were smaller and at the same price, which seemed odd. They were okay. The veggie roll, with tempura yam and aspargus was yummy. Edamame is complimentary, which is really nice, but I don't understand why places serve it cold. Edamame should be salted and served warm. Yum, We enjoyed the dinner enough to come back a few times and try some different options. I like the ambiance, it's close to our neighborhood and the people working there are nice. If I can find some gems on the menu, I would consider being a regular. There would have to be many more vegan options to charm my husband, however. Honestly, we have found no great sushi places in Sacramento. But, we're happy to keep looking.
(4)Tiffany N.
I came by to catch happy hour last Friday with my co-worker and I was a bit underwhelmed. We got there right out of work and were in the restaurant by 2:23. Their happy hour starts at 2:30, but I wasn't planning on ordering anything off the regular menu so we asked for the happy hour menu. The waitress proclaims "Uh, is it 2:30 yet?" I said no, but I would like to look. Apparently she did not want me to look at the menu earlier than 2:30 because she pretty much slammed the menus down on the table. They have $5 rolls, $2 skewers, $2.50 beers and assorted appetizers for various prizes. I got the Spicy Cafe Roll and the Sunshine roll. My coworker got the tiger roll, the pepperfin, the fried chicken. We got the chicken first, which my coworker said was just okay. Then we got our pepperfin and the Spicy Cafe Roll (SCR). The SCR was pretty amazing. It had the perfect amount of spice and sauce and just everything. And I was surpised by how large the roll was. I was expecting half a roll or even less. My coworker's roll came out and I was stuck waiting for my last one for a while. I think it took about 15 minuts AFTER I was done with my first roll. The Sunshine is nothing spectacular. It was overly sweet and it took me a while to find out that the "smoked" scalloped must've been drenched in syrup or something because it was overwhemingly sweet. After halfway through, my coworker ordered the Godzilla roll which took about 30 minutes to come out. I'm not sure if it was because we went during happy hour or if happy hour items are deliberately slowly made but I think I'll stick to normal dining times.
(3)Kenji L.
One of the better places in Sacramento to get decent cheap Japanese food. I normally visit Sushi Cafe for lunch and I get a lunch bento which is a selection of two dishes from a list provided, salad, rice, and a California roll all for under $10. Personally I would recommend the teriyaki steak (+$1) which is essentially beef teriyaki but made with a better cut of beef then most places. I would not recommend however the tempura here because it tends to be over battered which ruins the whole integrity of the dish. Of ordering a type of cats also remember to ask for the sauce on the side or else the batter on the cats may get soggy (because they put it on top). Service is pretty good but parking may be a hassle because the lot is quite tight and small.
(3)Albert F.
It was poor service like it's Bad when the sushi chef has to give you a table cus the waiters won't, idk if I had a bad experience here or whatever but I asked for a water and they didn't have any ice and I asked to get some with ice I never got a cold ice water so I'm like okay it's fine I look around it looks like nobody is getting any type of service man this was horrible ! And when I tried to order something off the menu on the happy hour it was like we don't have that or out of stock ok it made me pretty mad worst sushi place ever
(1)Meg M.
Great place and very nice people. This is my daughter's favorite place to eat close to home. They have great Happy Hour specials.
(5)Lynn H.
Rolls here are OK as usual but this a review for the hot noodle soups! I had tasty tempura with mine. Noodles seemed fresh and everyone else at the table seems to enjoy their noodles plus soup. Perfect for a cold day. Both the ramen and udon were great.
(4)Scott F.
Had lunch here with my family the other day. I understand things get crazy when busy, but I still expect at least water and menus within seconds, not 15 minutes after being seated. They have a very menu, including a lot of sushi rolls to choose from. My family got different bento boxes which they enjoyed from being hungry, but none really raving about it. My mom really liked her ramen which they did not make spicy upon her request. My spicy tuna hand roll was bigger than I expected, and the katsu donburi was good, but not a lot of egg, not a lot of katsu, and too much rice. Service was doing the best the could for being so busy, but they were clearly understaffed. I don't think they were expected a full restaurant for a Monday afternoon. Parking lot is small, since they are in a strip mall. Don't let that deter you, Sushi Cafe does a pretty good job, but I like the other location on Alahambra more as they seem to execute everything better.
(3)Flix N.
I want to like this place. it's in my neighborhood and super convenient. unfortunately the service is consistently bad. really bad. the rolls i've ordered have not been good. in fact one called the 'firestarter' was downright vile. ok maybe not vile but soggy and gross. i think the quality of the fish itself is just fine. they often run out of items, including those listed on the specials board. on one visit they didn't have any hot sake. seriously? our last three visits have been a disappointment, we've decided to stop eating here.
(2)Tony B.
Great sushi place, with some basic and different rolls. Has a homey feel inside. 1.50 saki bombs oh yeah
(4)Nancy V.
First time here, the wait was decent even though it was packed. The atmosphere was awesome, very family friendly and cozy. Took my girlfriend here for her bday and we got hooked up. Free appetizer, free dessert, and saki bombs. Chef Steve was awesome. He made us comfortable, fast and friendly service, definitely coming back even wo the free perks.
(5)Bill C.
I've been to Sushi Cafe about 100 times and have not once had a bad meal. The rolls taste fresh and original. The service has always been excellent. This is my go-to sushi place. I've tried just about every other sushi place in the area but none have ever served me a better meal. This location is fairly small and can get crowded during prime times. The location on Alhambra is a bit bigger and from what I can tell serves pretty much the same stuff. You can't go wrong here. I love it, my wife loves it, and my 10 year old has probably set the record for the most eel consumed in one sitting.
(5)Granja S.
Food is good for the price. Only problem for me are two female waitress. This restaurant is close to school so we come here often for lunch. First few visit our waitress seemed irritated with us that we wanted separate checks. Another time my friend wanted her edamame warmed up and even that was too much to ask. My recent visit, I wanted to order a bento box to go, but was somewhat flustered on what I wanted as my main dish. The waitress that was taking my order seemed irritated with that. While waiting for our food, I asked a second waitress if I could get some water to go and then my friends wanted some as well. The restaurant was getting busier and after I asked her for water, she responded with "okay how many of you want water? It's getting busy and I don't want to keep going back and forth." Then I finally got my food and asked for a side of the spicy rooster sauce (saracha) to go. My friend also wanted some sauce to go too and the same waitress said the same thing that it was getting busy and she didn't want to keep going back and forth. Seriously, we are your customers too, and they should be more professional even in busy situations. Only reason I go here this often is because it's the only sushi place that is walking distance from school. Will not be coming back after school ends.
(2)Samantha B.
Sushi Cafe is one of the first places I discovered when I moved to Sacramento, and I would definitely recommend it. The happy hour is always a great deal, a large selection of rolls for $5 each and a few little skewers of veggies or meat for around $2 (the happy hour here and at the Alhambra location include different rolls). If you love fish and sashimi they have one of the greatest chirashis around. I think it's $14.95 and it's a bowl of sushi rice with assorted sashimi on top. The selections always really nice and fresh, and it always looks really pretty. My one warning is the service usually isn't the best, they always seem to be one waitress short. The food is good and reasonable, and hey even if you do have to ask for your water a few times everything else is still worth it.
(4)D M.
About a year ago,I had read the great reviews about the sushi cafe and couldn't wait to try it. I took my family there and it was packed. We waited nearly two hours for our order after we were seated. When we were finally served, they had lost my order. I told them to forget my order and I nibbled off of everyone else's order. They apologized and gave me a discount on my next meal. The food was very good. I've returned several times since. The food is still very good, but their service sucks. The waiters are poorly trained. They charge you $2.25 for ice tea and they never bring you refills unless you can find a waiter. When you finish, it takes 10 to 20 minutes to get your bill unless you can find a waiter. After you pay your bill, it takes another 10 to 20 minutes to get your change. I still eat there,but my family refuses to join me. My oldest daughter went there with her husband and dropped her napkin. When she bent over to pick it up, it was covered with cockroaches.
(2)Lien C.
Our friend recommended this place; went there for the first time today. The decoration was pretty nice but its a pretty small sushi restaurant. I was not impress with the services at all. They serve us our main course before the appetizer. Then it took then a good 15 minutes before my boyfriend get his bento box, by that time I was already done with my sushi roll. No fun to have him watch me eat and I watch him eat afterwards. SO ROMANTIC..NOT!!! The table next to us from my point of view has the worst experience. They came in and order at the same time as us. It took the waitress more than 20 minutes to let one of the lady know the kitchen is out of stock on the item she ordered. By the time she got her food, the rest of her parties was done eating. The food was "meh". I've had better sushi experience else where with better services. The rice on the sushi roll was pretty mushy. I won't be going back to this place or recommending it to anyone. My friend however had a good experience, it might just be a hit or miss deal. Go at your own risk.
(2)Michael K.
Food's ok, there are better places but we come here sometimes for convenience. I usually get ramen, although it's super oily. This time I tried the Kim Chi ramen, and it is also ok. I don't know what it's supposed to be like but I was surprised by a large variety of mushrooms and a lot of sweet pickled radish. The Kim Chi was medium/mild. Food: 2.5/5. Service: 4/5. Value: 2.5/5.
(3)Nichole V.
I ended here because I bough a Coupon for the wrong location accidentally. I wasn't worried because the other location is so amazing I thought I. Can't be that much worse. I was wrong! The place is a bit run down on the inside (or at least looks it). The drinks were flat. The appetizer was cold. There was only one vegetarian option. I ordered the vegetarian #1 which was ok but had very little flavor. The person I was with ordered the Freeport roll and didn't like it much either. They would not let us use a coupon off the iPhone and took forever to give us the check. The girl that waited on us was very nice, but the lady that we brought the check to was extremely rude. I will not go here again and recommend that you just go the distance to the other location. You won regret it.
(1)Matthew L.
Decent prices for lunch. I had a katsu-don, but I found it on t he mediocre side. It really lacked character for the dish. The sushi tasted really fresh and was quite decent. Maybe ill try a lunch special next time.
(4)Ross p.
Yep.Love it.Do the sake bomb and seafood salad.
(4)Raych C.
Get the Supra Roll!
(5)Bill K.
Have been to lots of Japanese restaurants and this is on of our favorite. Sashimi is very fresh. Our only complaint is the fact that it is extremely popular so we try to go at off times. Hard to fault them for that......
(5)Jennifer G.
Sat at the sushi bar and had a great time looking at the chefs turn sushi into art. Truly amazing. Food was awesome. Everything was super fresh. Service was great. I definitely look forward to eating there again.
(5)M W.
I live close so I decided to come here with my parents. Currently we're all waiting for our food. It's probably been about 30 mins. Everyone is running around like chickens with their heads cut off. This place is small and they're pretty busy.. But we didn't even receive a greeting upon arrival. I just got my food, but my parents haven't yet. What a disappointment. People who got seated right before us are leaving already. Customer service is a big thing for me... Safe to say not coming back here again.
(2)Jess C.
Sushi is the same caliber as Sushi Arigato. Sushi is double the price of Sushi Arigato.
(2)Cat C.
Sushi Cafe is our local spot in our Sacramento hood (Old Curtis Park-Oak Park border), and we will miss it dearly when we move to Ione in a few short weeks. Sushi Cafe, our go-to joint, replaced our former go-to, Arigato's, after they totally ruined the place and turned it into a more nightclub feel. Ugh. But enough: back to Sushi Cafe. The waitresses are usually only okay, seating you quickly, and than ignoring you until you make eye-contract or flag them down, especially when seated at the bar, where we usually choose to sit. The chefs are great. Fast, efficient, and bantering with the guests. Worth a couple of dollars in the tip/fishbowl. The place is unpretentious and comfortable. The food is good. Not fancy, not the best sushi I have ever had, but consistent and GOOD. They will often have specials on the board, even some seasonal fish. Just last week: wild sockeye salmon nigiri. SO fresh, SO good. Just melted away. And a new roll on the board: the Fire Dragon. We didn't order it, but watched several made for other patrons while we were there; a roll wrapped in foil set on a plate with a shallow puddle of alcohol (Bacardi?) underneath that is then set on fire and served to the table. Who doesn't like flambe?! (Except insurance adjusters) The sushi chef was kind enough to offer each of us a slice of the roll, which was slightly warmed on the bottom, and deliciously fresh on top. Pretty good, and we might order one next week. To all you haters: Sushi Cafe is a fresh, decent local joint without the Mikuni-esque cover up of dim lighting, bad loud music, and heavy sauces. Love Sushi Cafe for what it is: good sushi for a decent price.
(4)Toko M.
If I had to choose between going to this sushi place, or the Togo's next door... I most likely would choose the Togo's more often. It's not that this place is bad, but (compared to some other Japanese restaurants I've been to) it aint nothin' great either. Would I go here again? Probably not. I agree with what some other yelper said, that this is just your "typical neighborhood hole in the wall sushi place." (Not saying their all bad; some of them can be quite good) The food I ordered here was prepared okay, (not great, but decent enough) but what disappointed me though- was the skimpy proportions that they give you! Not much sushi, or bento items! I would've gotten more food to eat at some other, undisclosed, Japanese food restaurants, which also would've charged me LESS than the $8.00 bucks I paid for dinner. This place, may be a little bit of a rip-off. (And lacking in authenticity too) The interior of the restaurant was nice and clean, and the service seemed good, but I was getting a little annoyed by the lighting / plasma TVs / music blaring... to me it was just a bit much, but maybe it was just me. Some people like to "party" when they go out... but me, I just wanna eat. I took away two stars for the slightly overpriced food, and skimpy proportions. (I'm sorry guys but you can't make up for it by giving people a mountain of rice). Ganbatte ne.
(3)Megan-Bria B.
Awesome, welcoming staff. Fun ambiance. Fantastic rolls. Yummy miso soup. Strangely arousing (jk) shiny gold walls. Yup...for being a Mikuni snob this place really is A-OK in my book. I'm still wondering why they listed soda, and then "carbonated beverage" on their drink menu. Can anyone answer that for me? Perhaps one of life's greatest mysteries...
(3)Maryjane M.
Amazing sushi! I can tell they use fresh crab to make their sushi. There isn't a fishy smell and the snow crab melts in your mouth. Their bento boxes are tasty too! Love their teriyaki salmon bento box. The salmon is cooked perfectly! Staff is okay. Overall atmosphere is quiet and casual. Although I wish they have more parking space.
(4)Michelle B.
I hope it is not because I was very hungry; but the food was very good. I ordered the large mixed sashimi. I went on a Saturday night and the place was packed. I waited a long time to sit and I waited a long time to order and I waited a long time for my food to arrive. My water with lemon was good. The miso soup was good. The cucumber salad was great. The orange slices were nice and sweet. And my fish was superb!
(3)Nolan B.
Good prices and a chill atmosphere. It gets my vote.
(4)Katie S.
I think sushi cafe has better hot food than Akebono (right across the street), but Akebono has better sushi. Their bento boxes are great! It comes with the usual.. rice, soup, salad, along with 2 pieces of california rolls. More food is always better =) free edamame if you sit at the bar!! =D
(4)M C.
I am updating my review because the customer service has gotten a bit better. I still visit this place occasionally and I must say, their lunch specials are still a great deal. :)
(4)Sarah P.
My coworkers recently took me here for lunch for my birthday. It was right at lunchtime, but we were seated quickly and our orders were taken in a timely fashion. Surprisingly enough, I didn't order sushi - thought their menu for rolls looked decent. We all ordered different versions of the bento box (a really great deal for 7.50 - comes with 2 different "entree" choices, salad, rice, miso, and 2 pieces of california roll). My 2 friends' bento boxes came out fairly quickly, at the same time. Mine came out at least 5 minutes later and made us wonder if they forgot about me. No BIG deal, but mildly annoying - and they didn't even offer an apology or a "it'll be out in a minute," which was kind of strange. On to the food: The bad: Teriyaki steak. I got mine spicy. The sauce seemed to be flavorful, but the meat was pretty tough (like difficult to bite one of the slices in half). Also, there was a large strip of fat along the edge of each piece. Not the yummy, soft, succulent fat, but the hard gross can't chew/swallow/eat gristly hard type. YUCK. The ok: They serve a communal little cucumber salad between miso and meal that was decent. The miso was fine, could've been hotter. The california roll in the bento was not bad, but not good either. Pretty much what you'd expect for a 2 piece in a bento I guess. The good: The other entree I chose for my bento was the mixed tempura, and OH MY GOD was it the best tempura I've ever had. It came with a piece of broccoli, an onion ring, a zucchini slice, a carrot slice (wish this had been sweet potato!), and one shrimp. Each piece was perfectly cooked and so delicious. It was light, flavorful, tender, and just perfect. It made the rest of the meal pale in comparison. All in all it was a decent meal. I've only been in Sac 3 months, and I've yet to find a teriyaki place I actually like. I'll probably return here and get a different meat choice, because the sauce itself (and the look of my friends' entrees) made me optimistic. If you go, definitely don't skip the tempura (I normally would have!), it is heavenly!
(3)Kit L.
The place is OK, if you go there when the happy hour starts. Other than that, the food is a bit overpriced (as with most sushi places), but the quality is often sub-par. Fish is fresh (as expected), but falls short on the utility as well as treatment of the fresh fish. I hate to give this place 2 stars since its a local favorite, and a far cry from upscale joint where folks from around the area tend to love little places like this, but honestly, I have had better, and I feel that folks on Yelp have been inflating the rating of this place a little bit.
(2)Wendy L.
Not much to say about Sushi Cafe except its your typical neighborhood hole in the wall sushi place. Pro: -close to a residential neighborhood. -friendly wait staff. -Reasonable prices Cons: -typical mayo saturated rolls and nothing impressive.
(2)Leslie P.
Well, I have to say it was packed, but were were seated pretty quickly. Our server was sweet as pie. The rolls were good. We had the Hot Summer roll: seared salmon, tempura jalapeno, avocado, spicy tuna, scallop, It was cut perfectly and nice and spicy. We also tried the MVR Roll: spicy tuna, shrimp, cucumber, avocado, lemon, white tuna, jalapeno, this was kind of meh, the white tuna didn't really stand out but the roll was pretty to look at. The grilled eggplant was pretty good, not mushy and the sauce complimented the flavor of the eggplant brought out by the grilling, my only suggestion is to change the presentation to bite size instead of long strips. The Ahi Poke was good, plump, fresh and a good portion. The Hamachi Kama was excellent with the grated daikon and the ponzu, although be it late, they didn't have it ready until we were ready to leave, but our server was so sweet about it I really couldn't get upset about it. I will go back to try the Bento and maybe test out another roll.
(3)Smelly C.
Sushi Cafe is ok. It's not a place to dine but a place to eat and go. The servers hustle and try to get their tables in and out which is good and bad. They have different combinations of food for their bento boxes and I felt like I can have what I want and another item that I didn't really want because the other item I'd rather have.. is combo'd with another item for another box. Other than that.. it's ok. I like: house dressing rice I dislike: Tonkatsu(breading is more like tempura, i like it when it's crispy panko-y) Salmon Teriyaki (regular or spicy) Parking
(3)Melissa D.
I agree with some of the other reviewers... this place is ok... I've definitely experienced better.... Dislikes 1. The Sesame Chicken and tempura is extremely oily... 2. The service there isn't that great... 3. If you're in a rush and you want take out.... don't go here... it takes a while.. 4. The fish doesn't taste that fresh... Likes: 1. Cheap for lunch... well... cheaper in general 2. The salad is really good 3. Their sushi is cheaper than most places 4. It's close by my school 5. The portions are a pretty good size.
(2)Mike S.
This place is solid. I have never had a bad meal here, or bad service. And, I have been here a lot lately since my now 5 year old has proclaimed this as his favorite restaurant, replacing Spaghetti Factory (thank God). The kid usually has a California Roll and some Gyoza. Or, he will have some raw tuna. Whatever floats his boat. The waitresses gladly make him kid chopsticks out of rubber bands, etc, which makes him happy. The other half usually has the SPD roll, which is apparently great. I'm allergic to seafood, which leaves me with the usual Terayaki Chicken, Steak, or vegetarian rolls. I have done all of it, and it's all good.
(4)Jason M.
For the freshness of their fish, I would give them four stars, which is a good thing for a sushi restaurant, but as a japanese restaurant, I give them three stars. Their rolls are very americanized, with lots of sauces slathered over them which tend to mask the true flavor of contents inside. I mean, how can you taste the freshness of the hamachi or maguro, when it is doused in eel sauce? And their cooked dishes arent that much better. Deffinately not offensive, but nothing I'd write home about, and for the price, I would deffinately expect more. I figure, why go here when Akebono is a couple blocks down the street!
(3)Veronica b.
This was my birthday present. Food was great. A little Bento box. Cute. but i left hungry.lol. My kid loves this place because its in walking distance from the college. Pretty on the inside. Smells a lil fishy tho.
(4)Harrybobo L.
Came here for lunch and was pleasantly decorated and service was very swift. I ordered the Hamachi Jaws and USA roll. First of the radio station was blaring too loud and distracting. Secondly the complimentary sliced cucumber was tasteless (needed more vinegar and longer curing time) Thirdly when the hamachi arrived I wanted some plain rice to eat it with. The server said it didn't come with the order (How much is a bowl of rice?Would it break them to bring one?) The USA roll is soft shelled crab three kinds of sashimi. Skimpy and drowned with too many sweet sauces. Overall I think they should have served a small bowl of miso soup while diners are waiting for their food and a bowl of rice should be offered upon request. I think I'll go somewhere else next time. Maybe back to RAKU!!!!!
(2)Priscilla G.
My dearest Sushi Cafe, what happend?! This place used to be one of my favorites, but ever since they opened up their 2nd location downtown, things have definitely changed. The last few times I've dined here were my last. I've had quite a few bad experiences like freakishly gigantic fat fried oysters, bitter sunomono, a hair in my soft shell crab appetizer, and a flat italian soda. The rolls still had the same great taste, they just fell apart a whole lot easier(Booooo!). It hurts to give Sushi Cafe only 2 stars as it was once the perfect, affordable fresh sushi restaurant. I would go at least twice a month and always order my beloved land park roll. But now, I agree with toko m., I'd rather go to Togo's next door.
(2)Kristie F.
The ambience in this restaurant is sooo nice! The chairs seem extra comfy too. o_0 Came here for happy hour (rolls that were 10 dollars usually were 5!!) and it was delicious! Another cute sushi joint in the area, and if you live in the neighborhood, they send you coupons you can use there. :)
(4)Suzanne O.
You cannot beat their pepperfin dish! Although I like most of their food, their pepperfin is worth the 5 stars by itself. I spoke to Bryant (the owner) who said that the fish comes in fresh caught every other day. The pepperfin we were eating that day just came in that morning. You can't get more fresh than that. It comes topped with fresh thin-cut jalapenos and the sauce is amazing - sesame oil, soy sauce and citrus. It's better than Mikuni's pepperfin. Other great items to try are Bryant's Rainbow Roll and their deep fried gyoza (pot stickers). This is definitely a place we visit at LEAST once-a-week.
(5)Tony C.
this is the BEST sushi place in town. The owner brings in top grade fish that is fresh and tasty. We have been going here for years and have never had a bad meal. My favs are the seafood salad, Mattie's Roll, and Bryants Big roll, and the BBQ Albacore. for any extra treat try the BlueFin Toro and a can of sake
(5)Luke B.
Delicious sushi, especially the yellowtail & the California roll. Love the cucumber salad and, of course, the saki!
(4)Phil O.
A friend of mine took me to Sushi Cafe for lunch. I never really noticed it prior despite how much I frequently visit the area. I ordered a roll the first visit and on the next a box. The rolls are smaller in comparison to other places. So I don't think it's such a good deal for the price - which is low. The box on the second visit was pretty good for the price. But not as much sesame chicken as other places I've visited. Theres a good amount of parking available in the front and prices are low in comparison to other japanese restaraunts during lunch. The dining area is clean and the service was excellent on both occasions. I'm not sure what to make of it really. I would be willing to pay extra for standard sized rolls or more chicken. Though I've experienced better, I would visit again someday but won't order any sushi as it's not such a good deal.
(2)Del'Esa L.
I've been here several times now, and each visit has been consistently great. The service is friendly, and they have an awesome selection to choose from, whether you're into raw fish or not. My favorite part about this place next to the food is the welcoming ambiance. Lots of families come here, and its the kind of place you can dine alone comfortably in! I'm looking forward to bringing my sushi-loving friends here :-)
(4)Frankie C.
This place has the best sushi ever. Best in Sacramento, in my opinion. I come to this place about once a week, sometimes more than that. Normally I would order the Bryant's Rainbow, Crispy Seared Tuna, and the Landpark Roll. The Freeport Roll and the Laura's Roll (not shown on the menu) are great as well. The prices may be a bit expensive and the rolls may be a bit smaller compared to other places, but it is definitely worth it. The service here is wonderful as well. They will check up on you often and make sure that everything is okay and if you need a refill on your drink. Laura, a waitress who works here, is one of the best servers I have ever had. It's awesome that they named a roll after her because she sure deserves it. I would definitely recommend this place to others. I've been here with a lot of friends and they all loved it. Give it a try and you will not be disappointed.
(5)Jessica And John W.
This is a wonderful sushi cafe. I love, love, love this place!!!! Some of the best sushi I've eaten. They find the BEST fish around and fillet it into the most wonderful mouth watering dishes ever!!! It is one of the places I go time and time again!!! Just the thought of their sushi and Unagi has me craving it yet again!!! Unlike other sushi restaurants I have gone to the fish here is beyond compare, it is fresh, sweet, and clean tasting. It is definitely a cut above the rest. Sometimes I go there 3-4 times a week, but it can get expensive, especially because it is sooooo good you just want to eat more! Need I say more? And again I am taken back to the reminisces of the flavors! Mmmm..
(5)Diddy Y.
went for mother's day dinner. BAD! Had the combo bento with teriyaki steak and tuna sashimi...... Sashimi was old, cold (Still frozen) and a bit fishy tasting. Not impressed....gave this place 2-3 chances...still BAD!
(2)Sara O.
Really good "Happy Hour" menu but one of the waitresses that works there is super sarcastic and rude and does not treat the customers very well. So other then super bitchy waitresses, this restaurant has great prices and the best sushi in town.
(4)Cindy C.
3.5 stars: a cute little sushi joint run by chinese folks, this is definitely not intended to be a high-end japanese restaurant. So don't traipse in there expecting the finest quality sushi and leaving disappointed. yelper..you have been duly noted. IMO, the happy hour 2-5pm, is the best time ( maybe..only time?) to go. The HH menu includes 10 types of sushi rolls..for the dirt cheap price of $5 each! They also have yakitori for $2, but didn't try those. Overall, the sushi was satisfactory. The sushi presentation was sloppy..but ey $5..I really can't complain. We also ordered sesame chicken (priced at $8.95) which was pretty good as well. for 5 rolls + sesame chicken= grand total of $36..+ leftovers for lunch tomorrow. talk about dirt cheap!
(3)Maytee R.
I went there with a friend and took a bento box to go for my man's dinner...he is really picky so I figured if he didn't like it I'd eat it but he actually thought it was really good and a few weeks later we went there for a little dinner date. The selection of rolls is BIG and everything I've tried has been very tasty. And the price is right!
(4)Im hungry L.
This place is slipping and they don't even know it! We came in expecting a quick meal and get on with our evening. We should of found a real fast food - Sushi Cafe let us down and we were not the only ones. A table next to us was also upset and left after the wait was longer than what they also expected. Something is not right and the food I had was a very greasy version of Shoyu Noodles in broth. Our Flaming Dragon roll was fun and very tasty to ofset such a long long wait for our small dinner. This will be the third strike for this location, I use to really like this spot. I eat at Ikebono most of the time and maybe this time will keep looking for another neighborhood
(2)Al F.
This place is our weekly mainstay!!! More so because it's 2 miles from the house and with a 4 yr old who tends to fall asleep on longer drives, it's perfect!!! This is our 7 yr old favorite place as well! The food is better than most down the Freeport strip and the sushi is good as well. And...it doesn't "break" the pocketbook with a family of four. It gets even better if you can make it to happy hour!!! They have rolls for $5 on the happy hour menu and some good eats (ie. fried chicken nuggets, chicken skewers, scallops, etc...) to accompany the beers on tap. Only draw back is the parking lot is tight and can get packed up during happy hour; you might have to park on the street.
(4)April H.
Best sushi ever!! Happy hour specials are outstanding :-) Love this place
(5)TeaBoy A.
The design and everything looked nice. Service was ok. But Fish is not fresh. Sushi rolls are small. Never get the Sushi boat that goes for $75 i thnk you can get like 7 rolls and be more full then that stupid boat.. $75 for like 3 different roll and couple sashimi oooh Heck no! So my conclusion is its not really worth spending money here.. Better off with bel air or nugget sushi... Save the money if your thinking about here..
(1)Brandon L.
Based off the food my cousin brought me, I thought it was delicious :) I can't rate the service since I didn't go there, but it was definitely tasty. Yum yum yum :) If I had the chance, I would make a trip there. If the rest of their sushi is as good as what I tried, then I might have found my new favorite spot!
(5)Sandy L.
Please do not eat here unless you want to be racially offended. This is the worst customer service I ever received. The server was racist. My friends and I went out after class grabbed some food. They told me about this sushi cafe near Sac City. The server, a late 20 Chinese mandarin man, was flirting with us. When he asked us what nationality we were, I told him I was half Thai and Hmong. He started to rant and use racial slurs against Hmong people. He tried to be funny and said he hates Hmong people because they were short, fat, and ugly. He claimed I was wasting my time with my Hmong husband. He hates Hmong people because they were trying to take over his country. I was offended and became upset. I tried defending myself and start saying profanities. He was going on a racial rant for a good 5 minutes. My friends and other workers were shocked. My friends were defending me and his co-workers were telling him to stop. I asked to talk to the manager who just pull him on a side telling him to calm down. My friends and I just walked out the place without paying letting the manager know. As we were to leave, the server had the audacity to ask me for my phone number. What a troll! I almost slap him. I told my husband about it and I had to restrain him at home to even go back to that place to confront the server. I have witnesses, accident happened on 04/30/2013 around 9pm. I hope management or the owner really do something about it. This is by far the worst customer service I ever received, being racially insulted. DO NOT EAT HERE UNTIL THIS SERVER IS FIRED.
(1)Pearl M.
I love sushi and this is my spot. Enough said! Oh yeah two more words for you creamy maguro (get some!).
(4)Paula T.
I also went to sushi cafe on New Years Day! I was glad it was open. I am not a sushi connoisseur, because I don't love fish....I don't know how fair it is that I am rating this restaurant, but...... I really like their rolls and their pan-fried gyoza. The miso is pretty amazing too. I haven't had their box meals, but the other diners with me said they were ok. The service depends; some nights they couldn't be better and other nights it's as if they have forgotten about our presence. I will return if I ever feel the need to eat sushi again.
(3)Jessica R.
After my two reviews of giving this place two stars. My mind has changed after those two reviews, maybe it was what I ordered or I don't know. I guess they are winning their way up to three stars.. why? Because of their "Cafe special," duh. Get it, it's good. And you won't be sorry either. The cafe special definitely changed my mind about this place, BUT I refuse to try their raspberry ice tea again.
(3)Ryan C.
This place is great. I have been eating sushi for almost my whole life, and I know what good sushi tastes like. This place has fresh cuts and great rolls. I am giving it only 4 stars because I have heard that they have new staff recently and the food wasn't as good. Maybe its a training issue, who knows, but I am dinging them because I trust my sources.
(4)Larry L.
Been going to Sushi Cafe' ever since they have opened 5 years ago. Heck I went there 72 days straight, including going to the Alhambra location on Sunday s when they were closed! I have tried a lot of local sushi spots around the greater Sacramento area. I think I can say that I have found the one. This is the spot where they get to know you on a personal level, what you like and how you want you rolls and or food. When I walk in, it feels like I am the "Norm" of Sushi Cafe'. Everybody finds there one particular place they feel at "home" for their favorite sushi. Sushi Cafe' is mine! Just joined Yelp, so expect a few more reviews to come. Heck, everyone has an opinion so why not share it. :-)
(4)Jae S.
Okay food, Bad service. Had a coupon for "buy a roll, get one for a dollar " expiring tomorrow, so I came in. Nice interior, nice, cute waitress. However, the service was lacking . Ordered 2 rolls, and a Bento box. Took at least 30-40 minutes for our food to arrive. The food was OK, nothing spectacular. Waiting for that long with a hungry grandpa and hungry toddler was pretty exacerbating, especially when we watched the people next to us sit down, get their meals and dessert and leave before we'd gotten any part of our meal. I probably won't go back unless I have another coupon and not in a hurry to eat.
(3)Janet S.
Don't know what came over me. I always order a chirashi to get my sashimi fix, but the saba dinner called my name. It came w/ a couple pieces of tuna, so I was okay with that. My friend said that they're known for their great tempura, so we both ordered the mixed tempura which came with shrimp and vegetables. It was indeed very good. A nice neighborhood restaurant.
(3)KP M.
3 strikes and you're out. I've tried this neighborhood place 3 times in about as many years--twice for take out and tonight for happy hour. Service tonight was super slow. $2 for 2 spears of asparagus? Sushi rolls were sweet when they had taste. And I've consistently found management to be cheap. Why offer coupons monthly when you won't take them?
(2)Kara B.
Order the cafe special and the eel roll and they were absolutely disgusting. The eel was chewy and couldn't even bite through it. And the shrimp tempura in the cafe special tasted stale. Never paying for this sushi again.
(1)Gregory G.
If you go here...you might die. Okay, you won't die, but you might get some serious food poisoning. I had heard pretty good things about this place from a reliable source. My wife had gone there previously and said that the Bento boxes were both sizable and tasty. So when my in-laws dropped by Sacramento on their way back from Seattle to Carlsbad, we decided to take them to Sushi Cafe. Bad idea. All of us, except for my brother-in-law ordered various Bento boxes (tonkatsu, chicken katsu, tempura, teriyaki chicken and teriyaki salmon). He ordered the tonkatsu over rice. In general I was unimpressed with my teriyaki salmon and spicy teriyaki chicken Bento box. But at the end of the evening, it seemed as though everyone else was pretty content with their food and we left the restaurant in good spirits, tummies filled. That's when the trouble began. Early the next morning my father-in-law upchucks...everything. And so began their travel day, a pretty bad way to start off an 8+ hour drive back to Carlsbad huh? Then a little bit later, in the car, my brother-in-law heaves. And my mother-in-law? She was a little too slow opening the Target bag. Middle seat of the van...soiled and stinky for the rest of the trip. The culprit? Sushi Cafes' pork tonkatsu. The irony of it all? I just got a $20 gift certificate to Sushi Cafe this past weekend. I guess I'll have to go when I'm feeling a little 007-esque. Living dangerously...very dangerously...
(1)Bad M.
Beyond yummy and now with five dollar lunch specials!
(5)Chris L.
Been coming to Sushi Cafe since it was just the Freeport spot. Quality food and a hometown feel. Everything Mikuni used to be before they expanded and decided to go "big time". Favorite in town.
(4)Trina B.
If you're in a budget but would love to eat Japanese food, this is the way to go...worth every penny.
(3)Ngoc L.
Went here with my housemates a few times and we both really liked it. He used to come here regularly when he took classes at Sac city that's how we found this place. The bento box here are pretty good and the people there are really nice and friendly too. My housemate used to ordered a roll here with a variety of sashimi and like this really good sauce but I just don't remember the name. It may look kinda shaggy from the outside but it's really not that bad. You'll be surprised =]
(4)Cindy L.
Came with my boyfriend during their Happy Hour held on the weekdays from 2:30 to 5:30 where they serve rolls for $5~!!!. Even though you can only select from a specific menu it still has a great selection. I would recommend the spicy roll and the dragon roll. The spicy roll has just the right amount of spice to give it a kick. What makes the rolls the best is their SAUCE~! They have the best combination of sauce. This is the place where I come for good and cheap sushi when I have my sushi craving~!! Now, whenever anyone talks to me about getting sushi I immediately think of sushi cafe.
(4)Al M.
My girlfriend loves this place, so I've had more than a few experiences with Sushi Cafe. Seemingly in recent months, they've put more effort (or something) into their food, as the rolls I generally order (Esquire, Gavin's, Kings or Seashell) have tasted fresher and have been more filling over the time I've been there. Although I'd probably pick Osaka over Sushi Cafe 10 out of 10 times, Sushi Cafe would probably be in my top three choices of Sushi bars in Sacramento. Their rolls are very good and they undoubtedly have the best tempura in town. The reasons why I give Sushi Cafe 3 stars is because they are generally inconsistent with how they serve their food and their waitresses are mind-numbingly inattentive. In one instance where I had an order of seared scallops the dish was drenched in sauce, whereas the previous time I ordered it the sauce was lightly drizzled over the scallops. Waiting close to 20 minutes for someone to pick up your tab or refill your water isn't out of the ordinary as well. The last time I went on a weekend where it was mildly busy, they tried to charge me for a roll they never even bothered to bring out. When I had asked about why I was being charged for something I didn't receive, the waitress brought the roll I had originally ordered immediately, which happened to be sitting on top of the counter for a good 15 minutes. She blamed the mistake on the restaurant being too busy to manage. I blame it on incompetence. In sum, the food is very good but everything else isn't. Edit (8/14/08): They've stepped it up totally. Gotta give them their props and hit em with the 4 stars. Go here!
(4)D. A.
Barred It was around dinner time and I was hungry. Eying this restaurant while cruising Freeport, I decided to stop here. I sensed the dinner rush about the begin - the tables were filling up fast. Since I was alone, the server attempted to sit to place me at the bar. "No, I want a table." I sensed hesitation but she moved me to a table intended for 2 anyway. I should've acted on my immediate instinct to leave. Pleasant Interior The table and bar arrangements can be slightly cramped. Not as modern/fancy as Mikuni's but a nice, cozy setting. See others' reviews for details. Fast Delivery As a first time test run, I ordered L15. Sushi and Sashimi Dinner. Almost immediately, the soup and pickled cucumber slices arrived. Within 5-10 minutes, my dinner box arrived. Errrr, Ummm, A Little Too Fast First of all, let's give credit for the sashimi part. About 5 or 6 thick slices of sashimi. Not bad - possibly 3/8" to 1/2" thick. The rest? Anything with rolls or packed rice either exploded or crumbled upon contact. Along with the salad, an orange slice and the rest of the basics, there was also a huge scoop of rice that looked... slopped on. What ever happened to presentation? It dawned on me when the word "efficiency" came to mind. Listening to the language and dialect of the staff here, "Aha! These people are... efficient!" Thank you. Hurry up and pay now, then GTFO! It was an assembly line delivery of food. Then, they almost tried to take my dinner box away. "No, not finished yet?" The check came. Barely looking at the check, someone immediately came to see if I've already signed off on the credit card voucher. "Didn't sign yet? Okay." Without going into further detail, as the girls (the servers) were pleasant. the overall last exchange was, "GTFO," but with a smile. $h!+ - I already wrote the tip in. For a pleasant, relaxed experience, hurry up and go somewhere else.
(1)Shane N.
Every time I eat at Sushi Cafe I'm never disappointed, this place never fails.
(4)Anna T.
They've added a little extension recently so now it's a lot less cramped in there. Same yummy sushi, friendly service, and their happy hour prices on certain rolls. The only thing they've changed is that now you can't use the little neighborhood coupons for their happy hour sushi anymore :(
(3)Tonie D.
Sushi Cafe is our family "go to" place to eat. The Sushi is always great, and the crew comes up with fun specialty rolls every week. The staff is very attentive, and because its a neighborhood place we always run into someone we know - or meet someone we want to know. On cold wintery days, when cold food doesnt sound good, there are plenty of other dishes - like a great beef soba noodle soup (my son's favorite) or some crisp and crunchy tempura.
(4)Carina S.
So i must say sushi rolls for $5 good... but the service is terrible.... i asked for hot sauce for my rolls and was charged extra who does that most places provide for free.... and i have to ask for refills... and when i asked for anything they seemed to be bothered!
(1)Elaine H.
I used to order take out here all the time when I worked in the area. It never tasted bad, but it wasn't out of the ordinary either. Last night we were driving around at 8 something pm close to 9, and most of the Japanese restaurants around the area were closed! Therefore, we stumbled in here and it was my first time dining in. Its a small place with some simple, yet elegant decor. I love the granite counter tops and the piece they have by the wall, but I must say that the tables are really too small. We could barely fit our dishes along with the soy sauce and drinks. The portions were HUGE for dinner. It was the biggest piece of salmon I've EVER HAD in any Japanese restaurant. The taste.. alright. Their seared tuna was alright too, but the edges had a really nice flaky crisp to it, which I enjoyed. I would recommend the seared tuna, but prefer that there was some kind of sauce to it.
(3)Michelle S.
Small sushi joint on Freeport. Hubby and I usually venture here for lunch when we want Japanese. We usually get the rolls...the USA roll and the Rainbow roll (both with sashimi) are two we order quite a bit...and some hot tea makes for a nice meal. If we are still feeling hungry, we each go for a hand roll. The Yum Yum is a tasty one with lobster salad and tuna! It's tightly packaged in a soy wrapper. Quick friendly service. Reasonably priced. Sometimes they have coupons in the Our Neighborhood Shopper coupon book.
(4)Kay Z.
Nice Place for a Date This is a private respectful japanese place. The bento boxes have a nice mix, and the roles are very good. The sashimi is solid. It's not really a place I'd go with a big party, or somewhere that you can go very often, it seems to be a little bit pricy and the portions aren't that big. The sauce is a little overused. It's not a place I'd go all the time but it's close to downtown and its got that private feeling where I'd really feel comfortable taking someone here when I'm still getting to know them.
(4)Nikki J.
i think i may be officially done with Sushi cafe- both locations. it used to be one of my favorite sushi restaurants in Sac, but after recent strikeouts at both locations, im moving on. I just had lunch at the Freeport location. the place wasn't too packed- about six tables full and two at the bar. i waited over 30 minutes for two rolls. one of the rolls was a special one from the menu board. it was horrible! nice presentation though. it came out wrapped in foil and flaming! no, really. after the flames went out i unwrapped the foil to the stench of burnt sushi. i choked down about half the roll but couldn't stomach the rest. it tasted like soggy burnt sushi. Nice try. as i was waiting for my food the solo sushi chef decided he'd stop filling orders and instead chat with some friends and make them some on-the-house appetizers. how nice, but what about the rest of us? while that was going on a table had to ask for their bill twice because their server had disappeared into the back with all the other employees. too bad Sushi Cafe, you've really tanked lately. i will not be back.
(1)caryl r.
I went with some friends to this restaurant today for the first time, at their recommendation. Wow. Love it! I had the SPD roll, which was yummaliscious, with a little bit of spicy spicy, and split a roll whose name I can't remember but had the word 'dynamite' in it. YUM!! Super spicy, and extra tasty. I love how they put the green tea in a larger, handle-free mug - I rather prefer that to the tinier cups. The miso soup was hot and tasty, with nice bits of tofu. The wait staff was very pleasant and quick. All in all, this is one of the best sushi places I've been too.
(4)Kong Y.
Bro and I came here for three straight days - Friday being one of the most craziest nights ever - especially for a Pre-B-day party before the main event on Saturday (May 9th). We started off with some good silky melt in your mouth oysters and mussels (from Washington very creamy and smooth). Then we had Chef Steve's choice of Sashimi - Sake, Toro, Hamachi, and the Saba. Let's just say 10 sake bombs and 20+ sake shots chasers interchanging between hot and cold = Saturday morning = first hangover. Brian, Steve, Keban, Tim, and the rest of the Sushi Cafe staff thanks for taking care of all of us. Good times! We've got to party like a rock star again. Until then keep doing what you do best!
(4)Juliet H.
really good sushi, highly reccomend it.
(5)Erne S.
Sesame chicken is very good. They could hire more servers. They seem in such a hurry. The sushi chefs are friendly and personable. Great plus...
(3)Billy B.
Usually I love Sushi Cafe but man the service is snail slow today. What the heck?
(2)Kathy K.
I visited for the second time today, remembering that my first time was also the first TsingTao (Chinese beer) I had legally consumed as a 21-year old some short years ago. (^_*) I knew it looked familiar but did not recognize so from the angle of the bar where I sat this time around. Over-all an average sushi experience. I tried the Bryant's Rainbow roll- which would be great if I were a sashimi fan, but I forgot I wasn't. The variety is nice though for the $13.95 I paid for it. If you are an Unagi (cooked eel) fan like I am, the Freeport roll ($9.95) is the way to go. Felt bad for my husband since I was all up on his order like a fishing bear in the wild. I liked his order more than mine. I also had the Cafe Special roll, which I enjoyed far better than the Bryant. Like I said, only average everything. Since I purchased a $50 certificate from sacramentoperks.com that broke up in two denominations of $25 and could only be used one per table, we shamelessly split our family into two seatings - at the bar- so we are still side-by-side anyway, to be able to utilize both certificates. I mean, how many more times do I plan on coming around here anyway? Well-- our Nazi waitress caught on and made a point of it to call us out and lecture us about making sure not to do this again- that she was sharp enough to observe that we were a family. Too bad sarcasm does not translate on paper. My husband felt obligated to give her an undeserved 25% tip. Whatever! The economy is tight I get it- the certificates would have been consumed regardless, either now or later! Quality customer service that she missed the boat on, would have had me coming back for more since my kids will be attending school in the nearby area soon. I think you are much better off going downtown, heck - even Elk Grove for sushi. But if it's a mediocre quick sushi fix you are looking for and you are in the vicinity, I guess they will do the job. I suggest, you take a drive down to the Oto's Marketplace just a few blocks away instead, and buy the ingredients to make your own- that little store is so awesome. I sure hope the Saporro Grill downtown is friendlier and better than this. I almost feel cheated by the video that promotes this place. Didn't realize it mostly showed Saporro Grill and not Sushi Cafe. Overrated!
(1)Genie e.
Very bad food n service!!! The waitess have no idea what I was trying to oder, very bad english I couldn't understand her!!! The food was far worst then the service!!! Only one word to describe it GROSS!!!! Eveything was tiny and over priced!!! I will never ever step foot in there!!!! N u shouldnt too!!!!
(1)Anthony V.
Had a Friends birthday party here, we had 25 people in are party , they did a very good job with the food and service !! The reason why 4 out of 5 stars is because the first round of beers were hot+ they have beer on tap but won't do pitchers, so they make u spend more on bottles !! Great place tho !!! Toc
(4)R R.
Great location and the inside looked nice. The reason there is 1 star is because there was hairs in my food. This could be a one time thing, but check your food just in case.
(1)Sara R.
My husband and I are regulars at Sushi Cafe for years now. I always order the same Gynuiku with Udon and my husband orders the Bryants Rainbow. We can never seem to go anywhere else for sushi.
(5)Eric D.
Love this place! It is a great, fun, inviting sushi restaurant where the staff is always welcoming. They have a big variety of Japanese food, including sushi, bento boxes, Japanese beer and sake. It is fairly inexpensive and in a cool location across the street from Land Park. If you're ever in the area, you should definitely stop by!
(4)V M.
Great Sushi.. great place for dates
(5)Nancy R.
Really good rolls, they're a bit pricier then they should be but all in all good food for the price. One of their vegetarian rolls is amazing it's garlic something sorry can't remember the name, my friend ordered it. We asked the waitress what type of vegan rolls she had and it was the one she recommended, great sauce too. Their service is ok, I like the bits of decor inside, from the street you'd think it'd be a place rats would frequent but it's totally not the case the bathrooms definitely clean :) cheggit out.
(4)Keri B.
2.5 . I once had a pleasant lunch experience at Sushi Cafe and a decent dinner at the one on Alhambra, so we tried this place again because it' was open till 9:30 (Sat night) and we wanted sushi at 8:45. Well as soon as we get our food they start bleach mopping and the smell of bleach while eating is totally disgusting to me. My Rainbow roll wasn't too great either, it was long but skinny and skimpy on the raw fish, bland and bleachy. They did however have a kid's menu (rare at a Japanese joint) and the waitress was kind enough to prop the door open so I could finish my tiny meal.
(2)Tony T.
I am going to disagree. This is one of those places my friend and I go to when we really want some sushi and don't want to drive to Zen. I have been a number of times and each time their service has been solid and food has been good. Hell, the last time we went we sat at the bar and ended up getting free hits off a large bottle of sake from our neighbors. Plus, sitting at the bar is ALWAYS more entertaining at a sushi place. Three stars for good food and decent prices.
(3)Nat F.
I've been going to Sushi Cafe every once in a while for the past 2 years. The fish is pretty good, kumiawase udon and oyster appetizer are both awesome. Also, although I feel the fish is not as fresh their Alhambra location, their prices are also less. A couple times I went, the owner was there at the bar pouring sake for everyone, including my friend and I, which was pretty entertaining. All in all, a great place to satisfy your sushi/Japanese food cravings without the ridiculous prices.
(4)Felicia J.
It's not my favorite sushi restaurant but it's not bad. It is nice to go during the week because it tends to be quite than other restaurants. The food isn't always great, but I have never disliked their udon.
(3)Michelle T.
I wasn't a big fan of sushi until my friend brought me here. It was about a year ago. I was a total Sushi Noob! Only ate the California Roll. This place has such great sushi that I have tried almost everything on the menu! IT's small but it's got a great feel to it and I've never had to wait long to be seated.
(4)Ifamodupe E.
I only have two words: HAPPY HOUR! From 2:30 to 5:30pm It is one of the best happy hours in the city. Helps that I can walk to it from my house.
(4)Jonah G.
Great happy hour awesome rolls, but terrible service
(4)Davis T.
I eat a lot of sushi and after driving around to find a sushi restaurant that was actually open between the hours of 3-5 close to work, I came upon this place. It didn't offer anything different to warrant anything worth raving about. $30 for two not including tax/tip/drinks is what you would spend.
(2)Julie M.
My favorite local Japanese food. Served with a smile in an easy to get location at the corner of Freeport Blvd. and Sutterville Road in south Sacto.
(4)Grace Y.
Setting is nice with marble table. Food on the other hand is average, if you really have to pick a sushi restaurant in Sacramento, please go to Ichi Maki~ It's much better than this place and it's not as expensive.
(2)Matty K.
I don't know what it is about this little hole in the wall, but everytime I go there I've left incredibly full, tipsy, and laughing with a smile on my face. Went here last night after not having been for a couple of months. My friends got a sashimi with maguro and fresh sake. Our other friend got the sesame chicken udon, and I got the cooks to make me a special veggie and tofu stir-fry (i'm in training). We feasted on an appetizer of edamame, which was perfectly salted, and not overcooked and mushy. The atmosphere was very casual, and the service reflected that. Food was brought out as it came up, no sitting under the heat lamps. The servers were chatting with the customers as they brought the food out. Certainly not a formal place. This is a neighborhood spot, where everybody knows everyone else and all sit down to feast on delicious fish (and tofu if you're a vegetarian) while sipping on some (complimentary?!!) sake. The stir-fry was perfect, not greasy, fresh produce, variety of veggies, and spicy as I requested. The sashimi was very fresh and not sinewy, my friend said. The other girl had a cauldron of bubbling soup. She somehow finished it although she said she was full about half way full. Come here if you want delicious food and a friendly environment.
(5)John S.
Food is most excellent! We usually order several rolls, nigiri, tea & miso, and some vegetarian tempura. Their tempura is awesome, especially the acorn squash & asparagus. Pricing is more than reasonable. Service is usually good excluding incredibly busy evenings. Dining is a bit cramped and parking can be a pain. The atmosphere is an odd mix of traditional meets sports bar, but still pleasant.
(4)Tracy L.
I've been here a couple of times but this review is based on yesterday and the time I went there maybe less then a week ago (I was suppose to meet someone there but she 'wasn't feeling good' but really her crazy boyfriend probably didn't want her to go or was pissed cause he wasn't invited..So I'm trying to imply that I don't go there because it was thatttt great) Place was busy. So my boyfriend and me got seated in one of those two people tables in the middle of the room, which means when you push out your chair, it hits the person behind you in the sushi bar. We got seated, got our menus, and the lady left us without asking if we wanted something to drink. Some new waiter saw us sitting there and I thought she was going to tell us that'll she'll be right over with our water or even ask us for our order, but instead she left and came back with a cup of sunomono. The sunomono wasn't too sweet or blend, just right. She must of been new cause she forgot a very important rule in the restaurant business - give your customers water first before sunomono. Okay so about 10 mintues after that another waiter came and got our order. She then returned with water. We ordered L2 - tempura and sesame chicken for $9,95, the U.S.A. roll (soft shell crab, masago, 3 kinds of sashimi, avocado and their sauce) for $10.95 and Seared Tuna dinner for $11.95. After getting our water we seriously waited for close to 20 minutes in getting anything. First came the roll, it was good, maybe cause I was horribly hungry from waiting. I've had their rolls before like the Spider Man one, which no longer exists, and their rolls are better then average. When my box came, I got chicken katsu instead, but the tempura was delicious. My boyfriend's seared tuna dinner came with 8 pieces. Overall - service is very poor, food is good, pricing is affordable :) I also wanted to include a small review on the time I went there less then a week ago. Ordered the $5 tempura and $5 soft shell crab. Both very good tasting and for just 5 bucks makes it more appealing. Also had their version of the ($14) chirashi. The sushi rice it came with had soy sauce in it...not cool. Okay the fish that came on it. 6 or so pieces of seared tuna, no, not regular maguro but seared tuna, 3 pieces of red snapper, 3 pieces of yellow tail and 5 pieces salmon (which was strangely very very cold, like they just gotten it thawed from the freezer). That might seem a lot of pieces to some but the pieces where small and the triangle bowl it came in, was 6 inches length per side, it wasn't deep either. Want good Chirashi? Go to Ricksha Downtown Sac.
(3)Elijah F.
I visited the Sushi Cafe for lunch one afternoon. There really isn't much to say. I'd give it a middle-of-the-road three stars, as the food was decent, average if not only a hair above average, but the service was atrocious. I was by myself and the waitress automatically sat me at the Sushi bar, where I never like to sit. I try to frequent Yelp and have reviewed for SnR, so I come with a pocket full of cash, ready to dish out for great service. I haven't withdrawn a tip completely in years but here is why I did . . . . . . I had to lasso and ask a random waitress for water and a beer list after having sat, unattended to, for nearly 10 minutes. . . . I ordered an ice tea and, wildly thirsty, drank it in a moment. The next second a random bus person comes around with a pitcher of water (and mind you, my glass still had a centimeter or two of brown ice tea at the bottom) filled my ice tea up with water, making it a murky substance that was niether purely tea nor purely water. . . . after this I did not see another service person save the sushi chef, in front of whom I was I so viciously sat, who, as I was enjoying a baseball game on their television, changed the channel. I would have had to know who I was tipping before I left a tip. This could have just been a bad day for them, which is why I did not give them a one.
(2)Millie B.
This is a great neighborhood restaurant. You're instantly recognized when you go in, and greeted with a warm welcome. I was there last Tuesday, and I went there with a friend today for lunch. We ordered the Zig Zag hand rolls on my friend's recommendation. It was great! We also ordered the Cafe Special roll, and another special roll that they made for us that's not on the menu. The food was fantastic, and the service was very attentive. They never let our tea cups go empty. It great to be able to support your local neighborhood small business, particularly if the food is so good and fresh.
(5)B C.
soooosooo deliciouuss. the prices aren't bad either! its def. worth a try!
(4)Ed A.
Bento Box L15 (dinner version) is an awesome choice at $10.50! They are incredibly generous with the sashimi portions and the quality of the fish is impressive.
(4)Don H.
Checked this out a few days ago. We had heard the tempura was good, so we thought we'd give a try. Yes, our tempura was very good. It was light and crispy and done just right. We also gave the sushi a try, but were disappointed. The fish seemed fresh enough, but for our tastes the sushi rice was too watery, soft and seemed overcooked. Also, the balance of vinegar didn't seem right. We wondered if it might not have been the correct type of rice for sushi. If you're ordering a spicy style roll with fried food inside, you may not notice the difference, but if you know and like authentic nigiri sushi the way it's served in Japan, we think you'll be disappointed.
(3)Katy D.
the first time i went to sushi cafe, nothing really stood out to me. maybe i was preoccupied catching up with old friends. but boy, last week when i was in town we went again. it was good! the unagi don was mighty tasty! for only $8.95 you get a good helping of unagi with a side of cucumber salad. it wasn't your typical plain sunomono, it was a good mix of sweet and tangy, but not too over the top. we also ordered a specialty roll, i forgot the name. that was yummy. the menu had a good variety or none normal rolls. my friends ordered udon. the noodles were just the right consistency and the broth was super flavorful. no wonder my friends like this place! the atmosphere is more intimate than others (aka smaller). my friends said they remodeled it; new chairs, more decor. from the outside you might not think to go in, but stop yourself from judging the restaurant by its cover, and go on in! the restrooms could use some help, so hold it when you get there or go before you go. i like this place better than mana. the sushi was fresher and well thought out. the udon tasted better. i look forward to going again when i am in town.
(4)Albert H.
We go here pretty regularly for sushi. The fish is fresh, and the pieces are generous. If you're interested in decent nigiri sushi, check this place out. If you want fancy rolls drenched in sauce (which usually means the fish is not fresh) then go to Mikuni. Although I really like this place, and the staff is friendly, I agree with other reviews that the service can be slow.
(3)larry M.
my wife, daughter and i ate here tonight for dinner. we haven't been here in ages and the new additional seating added alot to the atmosphere and i liked it. the staff was pleasant and the menu had a lot to choose from. it took a long while for anyone to take our order and once they took it, it seemed like a long, long time before we got our food. the food was good but anything would have been by the time we got it! our sushi roll came last ... we were almost finished with our dinner, so it wasn't enjoyed as much as when we usually get sushi at the beginning of a meal! i don't mind waiting for freshly cooked food, but this was to the extreme!
(2)brokester c.
can't vouch for the sushi since i did not consume any. but i like how it is open during the hours all other japanese places are typically closed (3-5pm). i agree, the dressing they use on the salad is quite tasty, as well as the tempura. i had the tempura udon but asked for the spicy miso broth instead and it was quite delicious. i usually can't finish soup when i order it (whether it be pho or ramen or whatever) but i almost finished that entire bowl it was soooo tasty. the mr. had a bento with tempura and sesame chicken and he consumed the whole thing. i think it is safe to say we both left happy, and with a bill less than $16 including 2 hot teas. that's pretty awesome. can't wait to return again.
(4)Dane H.
I eat lunch here on average once a week, and their bento lunch boxes are the best deal in town. Your choice of 2 items, i.e. grilled spicy salmon and tempura or sushi and pork tonkatsu (too many combinations to list here, pickled cucumbers, soup, rice, salad and a couple pieces of California roll for $5.99! The place is so small you can't miss the sushi bar, but I was a little skeptical that the sushi could be good, too--considering the location--boy was I wrong! I had dinner the other night with a friend who is rooming a few nights a week (he wanted to know where the nearest Starbucks was--he knows the coffee is crap but they open at 5:00 and have the NY Times) it's across the street, so we decided to try Sushi Cafe for "Sushi". What a great find! Some regulars, originally from Singapore, who drive in from Elk Grove once a week sat next to us and clued us in to just let the Sushi guys make what they want. My friend Dave, who just got back from China was telling me about the food and told me the wierdest thing he had was "stinky tofu"! The regulars, who are originally from Singapore perked up their ears and filled us in on more than we needed to know about stinky tofu. The sushi was great and even better with the bottle of G sake our new friends shared with us (they brought it with them and said they always bring a bottle with them-it was great, too!). My friend Dave and I both agreed we found our new favorite sushi joint--and not too far from home, too! UPDATE: Dave, Wendy, Paul and I had sushi there last night and it was outstanding. The key is to go there, preferably with 3 or 4 people and just let the sushi guys do their thing. They don't do flashy B.S. sushi for flash-sake. One thing they made that was unusual was a salad of slices of grilled tombo on a bed of romaine that they called a sea chicken salad, and it was great. We had a spider roll and maybe 3 other rolls, special hand rolls in edible yellow soybean wrappers, plump oysters on the half, and a beautiful presentaton of a whole sea bream fileted into chunks as sashimi. With 4 big Sapporos and a complimentary dessert of ice cream filled , the whole bill came to only about $40 each with 20% tip! The service is efficient without being pretentious--the place is not fancy, but is a cozy little neighborhood joint that just happens to have (I think) some of the best sushi in town. Update: Lately it seems that opening another joint has stretched attentions a bit...
(4)Matt N.
Let me start by saying that i have been coming to Sushi Cafe for roughly 8 years. over the past 12 months there seems to be a steady decline in the quality of food and service, and a steady increase in the price. Last night was the last straw, we went in at about 5:15, there were 8 of us, 4 kids, 4 adults. we ordered without a problem, and our food came fairly quickly...after that, we didnt see a server again, the kids wanted ice cream for dessert and we wanted more beer and sake, but we could not get a server to come back to the table. the service was the worst, and the food was poor at best. the only reason i gave 2 stars is for the excellence this place has displayed in the past. Oh and the kicker was when we got the bill, they included 15% gratuity. I know this practice is standard for larger parties, but a gratuity is earned, not automatic. I may give them another chance but not likely.
(4)Christine T.
i love sushi cafe! if my friends ask me where i want to eat, this is usually my suggestion. the wait staff is very friendly. just went tonite, it was slammed. well, i always get my usual- the cafe special udon. it isn't made with consistency, but for the most part is is made with spicy miso soup, with udon, chicken, egg, 2 tempura shrimp, tofu, mushrooms, veggies. it's packed with good stuff. the price is GREATTTT. i've had some of their sushi rolls, which i think are good and the prices are reasonable. but there's nothing too fancy about the rolls. typical spicy mayo and the brown sweet sauce. their bento boxes a good price as well, maybe cheaper than most restaurants.
(4)Marisa B.
I don't know why some reviews for the Sushi Cafe are so-so. I went last night for the first time and I will DEFINITELY be coming back. My girlfriend lives nearby and usually does take out but we ate in and the place was packed at 8:30pm on a Thursday (first good sign). The location (strip mall) isn't the most glamorous but who cares...we were sat right away and the service was quick and friendly. I am a newbie when it comes to Sushi but I absolutely loved their Vegetarian Roll. I don't do seafood (strange, to be eating Sushi, I know) and usually just get an avocado roll or whatever is on the menu without seafood. I think the roll I ordered was called the Vegetarian #2. It had tempura asparagus, sweet potato, avocado on top and the most delicious sauce. I seriously could eat these things every day...it was that good. Prices were also reasonable. My girlfriend got the salmon dinner and hers was fabulous also. Thanks Tim & Sushi Cafe...we will definitely be back!
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