This is absolutely my favorite sushi spot in Santa Cruz!! The only reason that I don't give this place a complete 5 stars is because I'm not a huge fan of their tempura or their gyoza (two items I love love!!) but other than that..their sushi tops all. My boyfriend and I LOVE the McRandy roll..our favorite roll fasho! Salmon, unagi, cream cheese, and macadamia nut=the best texture tasty sensation in your mouth! We can't get enough! Also, I love their beef udon complete with shitake mushrooms! Mmm..so good! I love this place and I'll be so sad when I move out of Santa Cruz and I won't have the McRandy roll be a drive away... So, if you have the craving for some good sushi and awesome udon, definitely come here! Their sashimi is very fresh but I think I like the sashimi from Totoro better. So I guess this place wins the title of my favorite sushi place in Santa Cruz for two reasons: McRandy roll and beef udon..but that's definitely more than enough!
(4)
Samantha B.
When I took my first bite of my sushi roll, I straight up asked myself, "WHY DIDN'T YOU GO HERE SOONER?" The prices were REALLY reasonable for the portions I got with my order. Very affordable and very, very tasty! I was pretty much mad at myself as I devoured into the sushi, telling myself I was a big fat dummy for avoiding this restaurant during the past 3 years I was living in Santa Cruz. I don't know why I did that... I guess I thought the other sushi places in Santa Cruz were worth its while instead. But I was wrong!! MoBo's is a must go!! A MUSTTT!!!! And writing my review, I'm even contemplating for having it for dinner later. Sounds like a really good idea to me!! MMMM... my mouth is watering and my stomach is fluttering (it's way of telling me I should eat what I'm craving for... soon) as I'm thinking about it. But seriously, I really enjoyed their sushi rolls here. Their service is great and sake bombing is fun here too!
(4)
Ani H.
the best veggie sushi selection. the husband will not eat fish but loves their veggie sushi (miami roll, crop-burning, and magic maki are his faves). It's a great place - servers are good and bus boys are always refilling your water. We are a fan of their miso dressing for their salad (which you can take home with you) and their fresh ginger tea (when you can get it). I love their maui wowie (tuna, avo, macadamia nuts), and their surfing asparagus (avo, yam, salmon, tuna, and cream cheese). Their special crunch dragon is a favorite for all who come to visit - sooo delicious. If you have guests for the weekend head on over Friday and Saturday for their saki bomb bar tricks.
(5)
kt b.
Good quality, affordable, yummy sushi. Huge vegan and vegetarian selection (of both rolls and other menu items) as well. And you can get almost any roll battered and fried (soooo good with the corruptor roll or guido roll). Definitely one of my favorite places to eat out in Santa Cruz.
(4)
G B.
Always fun to watch the Sake Bomb Domino Drop on Friday night!!! Super good fresh Sushi. The Employees are super nice and service is quick for how busy they usually are. Sake Bomb!
(5)
Michael V.
After receiving a recommendation from a friend, i was eager to try this place. I'm sorry but most people are wrong about this place. First thing I noticed was a create your own sushi roll, which is never a good thing. It demonstrates a lack of creativity. Secondly, the menu consists of mostly over complicated rolls and maki. A roll with tuna, hamachi, avocado, cream cheese, and macadamia nuts tastes confused instead of innovative. They seem to try too hard to be different from I love sushi and such, but in their attempts possibly ruined their sushi. Simplicity makes good sushi mobo. The more ingredients the less each one stands out. The 'seared' ahi came out well done and cooked dry all the way through and covered with an overly salty peanut sauce. My experience here was sub par to say the least. On the positive side they have good prices and fast service. Though receiving over $25 in one dollar bills in change without explanation did not help save the restaurant for me. It seems Santa Cruz does not understand sushi. Save your money and go to otoro in Scott's valley or sushi totoro on mission. Haters will hate but it's better than this place.
(2)
Malavvika K.
Can I just say, these guys love their vegetarians! Along with the simple Kappa and Avocado Makis, they offer other, more complex rolls with some of the most unique and coherent flavors. I've tried most of their vegetarian rolls, and among the best so far are the "Guido", "Miami Roll" and "Lori Maki". They're definitely going on my speed dial!
(5)
Nick T.
For a sushi place in Santa Cruz, this place is nothing to complain about, but the roominess and the fact that the place has great atmosphere has really put it at the top of Japanese places in Santa Cruz I'll be frequenting in the coming years. The servers were kind, the sushi bar was great fun, as they always are, and the tea was unusually good. I would suggest, if you're sticking to sushi, to try the specialties, as the couple my companion and I tried were quite good. I have yet to try the entrees, but for sushi I can definitively say that this place is great! DAutrecourt
(4)
Kevin M.
Mobo has a great variety of rolls at a decent price. I recommend going on a Friday night for the free Sake Bombs.
(4)
Greg N.
Went in for the first time in awhile. Ordered a bunch of different rolls. Mcrandy, landshark, avalanche, tsunami. Sadly not one of them had the freshness that I expect from sushi. This place has gone downhill and fast. I won't be back here for a long time, the rolls just don't taste like they used to. The saddest thing was when my friend said to me that he thinks that the Safeway on Mission had better quality sushi. Thats not good.
(2)
Noah W.
This is the by a large margin, the worst sushi bar in Santa Cruz. The food and service are both mediocre. I ordered some salmon nigiri which tasted OK, but the fish was cut extremely large, and the rice was the worst I've ever had. Not only was it not fixed correctly for sushi, it was slapped together, sloppy, and fell apart. The worst part about Mobo Sushi is their interior. This place is ugly beyond belief.
(1)
Dev O.
presto maki is all I got to say. food is dreamy. service is okay--hit or miss.
(4)
Rachael D.
This is our favorite sushi place in Santa Cruz! We love the welcoming atmosphere and of course, the sushi. They have many great vegetarian options, which are delicious even if you eat fish. And there are also great options if you don't feel like sushi, like the Lomi Lomi Salmon.
(5)
Yelper X.
Mobo. For years you were a four letter word in sushi. While your communist general of an owner made the trip worth it every time, you were always the Wal-Mart of Santa Cruz sushi joints: fast, relatively cheap, poor service and just plain mediocre sushi. Imagine my surprise this last visit... we had a great time! The food and service were on point. Mobo has been under new management for some time now, but it wasn't until this visit that I can say they have finally pulled it all together. I've been keeping LA time lately, so we didn't make it to Mobo until almost 9:00p. We were greeted promptly and seated in a great corner table in the newly expanded portion of the restaurant. Our server was attentive and made regular visits to the table, unheard of in previous visits. The bus boy was equally charming. Our water glasses never got empty. Now, on to the sushi: I have a regular rotation of favorites. Tonight the chef rocked my world with a presto maki (hamachi), krazy kat (katsuo), miami roll with shitake (tempura yam). Rolls were huge, well balanced... delicious. Don't come here expecting authentic Japanese sushi; however, this is very good representation of what California sushi has to offer. Added bonus ... FULL LIQUOR LICENSE. Yea, get your drink on.
(4)
Susanna S.
My boyfriend and I went to this restaurant last night. Bad experience all around. We love Sushi restaurants and have been to hundreds, from Japan to the U.S. First of all we we're greeted with the attitude that "customers are here. What a nuisance." The energy about the place was weird. The menu is totally confusing and when I asked the waitress, she was really defensive and sarcastic.We ordered several rolls and sushi, quality not that great. The service was a 3 on a scale of to 10. And it's owned by Koreans and not Japanese. Again, we've been to 100's of sushi restaurants and NEVER does an authentic Japanese owned sushi restaurant lack in exceptional service and quality of food. At least this has been our experience. Sigh. Never to return.
(1)
Josie W.
One of the better sushi restaurants around here, not the best, but one of. I love how they put all the sushi roll orders on one giant plate, which can get confusing at times. Service was fine and sweet. Decor is cute. I've been here a couple times for birthday dinners. It's my roommate's favorite sushi place in Santa Cruz. She recommends the rolls that are named after cars
(4)
Drew A.
Pretty fitting for Santa Cruz; lots of cruchiness. A lot of rolls have nuts in 'em. I don't really eat rolls, but it sounded good that day. I don't remember the name, but the best one I had had Hamachi, basil (or cilantro) and macadamias. Pretty damn good! They weren't too busy for a lunch rush, but service was quick and friendly. I overheard a conversation behind me, and they said they don't eat any fish, but come here all the time. After looking at the menu, and seeing all of the veggie items, I can see why.
(4)
Grant T.
I went to Mobo sushi with a vegan friend when he was in town, because someone suggested it. I have to say my experience with Mobo was horrible. First, the food. Overpriced sushi. The vegan rolls weren't really that tasty. The fish wasn't very good. The service was horrible. We spent tons of money on sushi and left hungry. We ended up at Saturn about an hour later and ate again. I don't think I would ever go back into that place unless someone was paying. Even then, I'm not sure I would. There better sushi restaurants in town which I'll be going to.
(1)
Tracy N.
Wow I am never going back to this awful sushi restaurant. Seriously, my worse ever sushi experience in Santa Cruz. I waited 30 mins to get my food after I had ordered! Which has never happened to me before. Just horrendous service, although everyone is nice--it doesn't make up for how long I waited. Usually when restaurants make me wait I am delighted to see that they brought me out a free appetizer but this restaurant did nothing like that. I just continued to wait and my wait was soooo long that I felt like I had to keep entertaining myself aside from the horrible acoustics of the restaurant that make everything sound sooo loud. I literally wanted to chop my ears off at that point. Moving on to the sushi, horrible....the raw fish I ordered to go with my sushi was semi-warm....you'd think raw fish=cold...but this was nothing like the experience I had. Overall...30 mins wait time, horrible service, and hot sushi? Seriously NEVER AGAIN. I'm going back to I love Sushi because customer service comes first. What a concept!
(1)
Veronica G.
This place was awesome! A couple of friends took me here not too long ago. Now, I'm not a sushi fan, which is why I stuck with the teriyaki chicken, but for just $13 i got the chicken, vegetables, miso soup, salad and a big bowl of white rice. I would definitely go there again.
(4)
Felipe C.
Great sushi. Good atmosphere
(5)
Keiki C.
We at there last night and notice the quality has gone down quite a bit. Maybe it was an off night for them, but the service was terrible, the yellowtail was mediocre, and the rolls we used to get was subpar. What happened to Mobo? We used to like this place a lot.
(3)
R S.
Been coming to Mobo for well over 20 years and though they are not always consistent there's a reason i keep coming back. The menu offerings are the best i've found of any sushi place, anywhere! especially for vegetarians, you will find so many nori maki options you will be hard-pressed to figure out which to choose. Well, here's a few not to miss: magic maki, artishaw, guido. Another outstanding find is the pickle plate. Oshitashi and edamame are staples. Great variety, great price. Always fresh & tasty. Where else can you get anything close to this?
(5)
Lindsey D.
I have been eating at Mobo for years, but came last night after a year w/ out Mobo. My favorites have always been the Sunrise (mmm, quail egg), sushi rage, and the flying tiger. Last night we tried the calamari roll for the first time and it was damn good. Their wasabi is consistently damn-hot. Sadly, we had an extremely gross roll called the Salmon Catcher or something like that...It was one of those baked rolls. It would have been good, but had about 2 inches of solid mayo on the top. It should have been called the Manchowder roll. I will now avoid any rolls that list miso mayo. Nasty!
(4)
Huyen N.
I used to love Mobo's. Until they started telling me HOW to order my sushi.
(2)
Kurt C.
Best service round for sushi. Free sake bombs on Friday and Saturday nights at 730. This is my wife's and I favorite sushi place. Always fresh and fast.
(4)
Craig A.
I have been here before and have had some okay sushi, definitely nothing amazing, but tonight we ordered the Salmon sashimi and it was so bad we couldn't even eat it. We ordered a couple of plates but only partially ate one, the other we told our server to take back because it was awful. The owner came to our table to see what was wrong with the food, when he heard our complaint about the food he went into this spiel about how it was prepared and how Mobo's has the highest quality fish in Santa Cruz. He then insisted we pay for the untouched portion as well as the one we had partially eaten. We told him that was ridiculous, there was no way we should have to pay for food we didn't eat because it tasted awful. Rather than apologize for the bad meal and offer a substitute menu item he went and called the police to cite us for refusing pay for services rendered. Needless to say, I will never be eating at Mobo's again!
(1)
Cheryl M.
Unfortunately, not my #1 sushi bar any longer. The last couple of times I have been there, it has been mediocre (sushi and service). I had been wanting to take an out of town friend to Mobo for years and finally got the opportunity. And since the expansion, thought we had a better chance of getting a table. While being seated at a very small table, I watched what I realized was our sushi order, sit for almost 10 minutes while we finished our appetizer. No one seemed concerned. I was embarrassed. There are other good choices for sushi in the area who seem to care more about customer service and what is served. Sadly I may be done with Mobo after all these years.
(3)
David P.
A place that the owner has given up. Chef Ramsey definitely needs to take this place on. Service: So I come and ask for the bar. Usually the bar is where all the excitement as most sushi chefs are very talkative and take pride in their food. Talk about being a group of depressed staff. One of the staff on the side is talking about how his heart was broken by some girl to another girl. Maybe the sob story was his strategy to rebound? The chefs don't even realize you are there. There is one with the scar on his eye, maybe from his Yukuza days. In either case, they were complaining to each other how tired they were and how they wanted to get paid...paid for doing what again? The waitress was pretty cool overall. Food: So I order the Lomi Lomi Salmon but unfortunately they ran out. I picked Hiyako Salad which was simply a bunch of old firm chopped tofu, some ponzu, and lettuce on the side. OK WOW. For my entree, i ordered the Pineapple Express? It had spicy tuna, macadamia nuts crushed along with chunks of pineapples for topics. You can taste the lack of freshness of nuts and you can definitely tell the pineapple was from a can. Of all the fish that should be fish, I would think the salmon would be which it was not. And I left with no greeting or thank you. The Yakuza chef was busy wiping his glasses...ahhh...the gangster life isn't what it use to be.
(1)
Johanna D.
I've been here three times, and two of those times my fish tasted vaguely like Windex or some other cleaning chemical. Somewhat of a turn-off, as it were. My sushi was alright one time, which is why I'm giving this place two stars instead of one. The service has been horrifyingly slow all three times, so much so that the third time I started eating pieces of my napkin waiting for my Windex Roll to arrive. So I'll cut to the chase; go to Shogun or Bentens.
(2)
Carrie V.
I usually write long reviews but very simply this place is c*m in your pants delicious. Can I say that on yelp without getting in trouble? I had my first sushi ever here over a decade ago and used to frequent Mobo's when I lived in Santa Cruz. It's been years and years since I ate here last, but I was thrilled to discover tonight that the food here has only improved over the years. Go. Eat as much as you can. They have the most amazing, diverse, inventive ingredients and rolls you could ever imagine. Service was stellar, bathrooms clean, cocktails were great (if a bit pricey)! Not a single complaint from me. I regret only that I was not hungry enough to have a few more rolls...we had the death star, the eliminator, and the surfing asparagus. All delicious, really truly amazing. :) And worth every penny!
(5)
Ann L.
I'm giving this place 2 stars mainly because i'm biased. I'm more partial to sushi totoro. the rolls here were decent - they don't label very well what's in the rools, and I had an allergic reaction to a roll they had with macadamia nuts in it. that brings another point, they put macadamia nuts into so many rolls, don't know why. the seaweed salad was pretty good. the portions are a bit small for their prices, and the size of the places causes the staff to miss us a lot, even though it was pretty empty when me and about 3 friends came in. water tasted funny, too.
(2)
Adam K.
I dont like sushi, so i am commenting on the chicken dinner i had and the service my group received. 1) the chicken wasnt great. its hard to screw up chicken teriyaki but they managed to screw it up. dark meat...really? use white, dark is gross. this place compared to takara is subpar. takara also has pork cutlets which are great, mobo only has chicken and beef. lastly, the service. we came in with a group of seven people so that means the gratuity was included in our bill. they waitress did not deserve the 18% they charged us. we waited WAY too long to place our order, the service between that and the check was spotty and then when it was time to pay up. she never came back. we had to go find her to pay. they only way i would come back here is if some one else wanted to go and i was crystal clear when i placed my order to give me good meat, not garbage. on the other side, the people i went with said the sushi was good. so there might be some upside to some one wanting sushi.
(2)
Wendy P.
I went here last night with my housemates for dinner. I've been here before, but I decided to give this place another try. One of my housemates wanted to go here because they give out free sake bombs Friday nights :) The atmosphere was loud (in a good & fun way). The place was crowded, but we were seated right away. Although the service wasn't that great that night, it's not really their fault because we were kinda blocked from where we were seated. We did get what we needed, just took a bit more patience I guess. When it was time for the guy to do the sake bombs, it was very exciting. I guess it was because it was my first time seeing him do the domino affect, but it looked cool nonetheless :) Plus, the sake bombs were free so that's another plus! I had a hard time deciding what to get because I didn't understand what was in the sushi since they used Japanese terms. Most of the words were defined in the glossary in the back, but there were still a few that I didn't know. I ordered the Beamer & the Mercedes Benz. I was a bit disappointed. The end pieces were good because it had big chunks of fish, but the middle part felt dry to me; it was mostly rice. One of my housemate got the Nabeyaki Udon; it said it was good. My other two housemates got spicy tuna, two pink caddy & a tamago roll. The spicy tuna & the pink caddy looked good. It looked like it had a lot of flavor & it was filled. It was filled with rice or plain looking like the two rolls that I got. Overall, I give this place a 3.5 :)
(3)
Diana H.
This is my favorite sushi restaurant in Santa Cruz! The rolls are amazing. They use interesting ingredients like basil, cilantro, garlic, and even beets! But they have excellent traditional sushi as well. They also offer a massive selection of vegetarian rolls. I suggest the crop burning, vern maki, guido, and iron man for veggie rolls. And the special K, beamer, presto maki, and maui wowie for fish rolls. If you're into sashimi defintiely try the chef's choice. It is beautiful and delicious. The prices are good, the fish is fresh, and the rolls are unique.
(5)
Candace H.
This is a great find! Sushi is fresh and portions are generous! For four, the bill was right around $120 -and that's with five premium rolls, three others, two orders of nigiri, a couple appetizers, four large Sopporo, one large sake, and a bottle of sparkling sake! Everything was fresh and tasty!
(4)
Ken J.
Okay, I would not refuse to go again... but I wouldn't go out of my way. I guess when I get Japanese food, I am expected a more traditional fare. If their recipes blew me away, I would accept it for what it was: but the food didn't blow me away. Didn't order much, but looked at other plates and read the menu -- a wide variety of creative combinations-- The Udon broth was the Sukyaki broth. That to me is a no-no. The gyoza was breaded? Unusual texture at least... but not very flavorful. The salmon shashimi was far from the freshest or more flavorful I have encountered. It didn't taste "off" as another reviewer suggested, but it was not top quality either...farmed? I wouldn't call it bad, but it's nothing to write home about.
(3)
Jordan H.
Amazing---been here 5 times, always perfect service & quick food. Thanks!
(5)
Danielle K.
This is still my favorite sushi place in Santa Cruz and well.. ever! Yesterday my boyfriend and I were lucky enough to be the very first customers to sit in their new addition. They took over the real estate office that was located next door to them and made it into another room. Yesterday was officially their first time using it. Ya, we felt special. We even met the owner, who was very cool. Also since this was my man and Is Valentines day.. I had to work today :( we decided to go all out and get a dessert. I am in LOVE with their tempura fried banana with honey and macadamia nuts on top.. followed by green tea ice cream on the side. WOW!
(5)
Catherine G.
Yum! Tasty rolls of all different kinds (including veggie), yummy tempura, and teriyaki sauce that is out of this world. Chicken teriyaki here is great. The perfect balance of sweet and salty, with tender meat. I'm personally a big fan of the creative maki - especially the Beamer and the Pink Caddy. Delicious, well-balanced combinations. The service is pretty good, but nothing to go crazy about. The take-out is a nice, quick option on a busy night. As far as ambiance, it can get a little crowded, but not nuts. It's not super fancy, but not a total dump, either. Probably a good place for a first date - not too-too quiet, and not too showy either.
(5)
Ryan O.
Being a big fan of sushi, but also very picky about quality, I am always pretty skeptical about new sushi places. I stumbled in here with a friend on our search for food in Santa Cruz. The first thing I noticed about this place was the price. Contrary to the other reviews, I would say this is one of the most modestly priced sushi places for the quality. The average price of a roll was around $7. Yes, they have cheaper ones, and yes, they have expensive specialty rolls (no more than $16 that I saw). The fish quality was fresh and tasty. This is probably the most important aspect for me when I go out for sushi. The menu was very extensive and has a lot to choose from. However, I should note that if you don't know the Japanese name for the fish, good luck. There is no english translation. This was the only downside to this place. I would definitely revisit this place.
(4)
Linda L.
I should have tried one of their (many) rolls, instead I went with my tried & true beef teriyaki (lots of meat, but strangely, it was very bland with no flavor - even with the teriyaki sauce). The rice on the california roll was stale, like the roll had been made a while ago. The bento box did come with ALOT of food, unfortuanately it was all just OK, not anything I'd be wanting to order again. My husband said his "Chef's special" sashimi platter was very good, and they included a couple of interesting pieces that were wrapped in cucumber. I would probably be willing to try it again, but I would definitely order something different. Dinner was $50 for two of us, with no alcohol.
(3)
Emily R.
I love mobo! Great quality and inventive rolls.
(4)
Amy O.
Innovative sushi rolls. This isn't a traditional sushi joint, most rolls of some sort of nut or herb in it. The first time I came in here, I wanted just straight up rolls, and was disturbed by the macademia and basil. It is my friend's favorite sushi place as they have a ton of veggie rolls. So, tonight I went knowing I wasn't going to get traditional, and I ordered: Green Eggs and Ham: Sake, Egg, and Avocado Pesto (something or other): Hamachi, Basil, macademia Both good, if something different with raw fish is what you are looking for. Great customer service. Looks like it is good for groups, as the 30 minutes that we were there, three huge groups showed up.
(4)
Karen M.
Sticky menu, way overpriced, got our order wrong twice, nothing special about the rolls.
(2)
Rebecca P.
UCSC students: this is the best place to have your visiting parents take you out to dinner because Trader Joe's is right across the parking lot, so you can easily lead them to buying you groceries after you eat. It's genius!
(4)
Alan D.
Mobo's Sushi has my favorite meal in Santa Cruz County. Neruda would have written an ode. In addition to my favorite meal, they also have a full bar, sushi bar, booths, tables, and outdoor seating. Their busing staff is on point. I've never seen my lemon wedge hit the bottom of my glass. Their sushi includes traditional styles as well as more inventive rolls. The land shark and special K are 2 favorite rolls of mine. My hands down favorite thing to get there is one of their three udons. Giyuniku Udon: This is less than $10. It's a huge bowl of thick udon noodles in a soup. It has marinated Shitaki mushrooms that absorb the broth and are always at a firmness unmatched by any meat, sea food, or tofu, although somewhere in between firmness of tofu and calamari. The bowl also includes thin shredded raw carrots, a huge wad of spinach, thinly sliced grilled steak, and a light amount of green onions. The portions of each ingredient are generous and if you can make it past the mass amounts, there's always treasure hunting for the remaining pieces left in the large pool of broth. It's healthy, filling, affordable, and makes me want to order it again the next time I go.
(5)
Kevin K.
This restaurant is very close to where I work and I have been here several times. The service is consistently quick and the food quality is consistent as well. I usually order the lunch special that includes: chicken teriyaki, miso soup, green salad, broccoli and carrot combo, arbor roll (avocado, cucumber, peanuts, and broccoli), and pickled cucumbers. I am always satisfied since this is a huge amount of food despite only costing $8.95. Other Japanese places may have specials like this, but you don't get anywhere near as much food as you do at Mobo Sushi. By the way, I am Japanese American and know what authentic Japanese food is and this restaurant is not authentic. However, I didn't expect it to be. I am satisfied with the amount of food and it helps that it is delicious :)
(4)
Jessica J.
The staff isn't very friendly...they're just there to do their job. One time I went with a group of four on a weekend, so a wait was expected for a table. The owner actually took us to the back patio, where about three empty tables were pushed together for a larger group with a reservation. The owner pointed at a group of four (still working on their rolls) and said "They're almost finished! You can have their table when they're done!" We sat at the empty, reserved tables to stay out of the staff's way as they continued serving, just to have about 3 of them tell us we weren't allowed to sit there because it was reserved for a larger group. We would have been completely fine waiting at the front door to be seated when a table was ready for us. My husband and I had our very first date here, and sat at the top bench of the bleacher-style seats behind the sushi bar. Fun for people watching, but the sushi chefs paid no mind to us. I've sat in almost every location within the restaurant at some point or another, and the only reason I returned (and even gave this as high as 3 stars) is because the sushi is delicious. They have a very large menu selection with tons of possibilities and unique flavor combinations. Prices are okay; not too high, but the rolls aren't usually very big.
(3)
Davis D.
Sorry Mobo, but you're my last pick for Santa Cruz sushi. I came here for someone's birthday and had already read the Yelp reviews for it, so I wasn't expecting much, and was planning to be nice about it. I honestly don't have anything nice to say so I'll cut to it... Rolls - poorly rolled, hard rice (did they even use the right kind?), and didn't taste spectacular. Sushi - fish tasted off (slightly spoiled?), and not very fresh Unagi - THERE WAS A BONE IN IT--WTF Oh, and the prices don't justify even going here. They are just as expensive, if not more than some other places in Santa Cruz. I'd stay away from this spot...I Love Sushi is only 5 minutes away.
(2)
Michelle S.
We ordered to-go here and I wasn't too impressed. The menu wasn't very detailed and the hostess clearly wasn't knowledgable on the menu (she couldn't answer my questions). The sushi was good though; the pieces were pretty big. The decor was nice and it was pretty busy... I'd give this place a try again.
(3)
Zulu Q.
I am quite honest about my myriad of shortcomings. For example, I am a royal pain in the ass to take out to eat. I want to fancy myself a foodie; but to say that I am fastidious is a severe understatement. The following conversations are common in my life: "Hey, let's eat Indian food." "Um, no, I seriously hate curry. In fact, I will get sick and lose my appetite if I smell it." "Um....Thai?" "No. I hate peanut sauce, coconut milk, and curry...kinda obliterates the whole cuisine." "Um....sushi." "OF COURSE." later at sushi... "Hey let's split rolls." "No. I don't like rolls." "??????" "Well, I don't like avocado (some Californian I am). I don't eat deep-fried food (sober). And I hate mayonaise. I also hate the taste and texture of more than one fish at a time. That doesn't even decimate my options...that just about rules them out." "Um, ok, you're on your own." Now, that is almost a lie. Sometimes I can find rolls that I can easily modify...no avocado...no special sauce...no tempura. However, I pick them apart and eat the fish individually....this also raises many eyebrows and rolls many eyes. "What are you doing?" "Eating the different fish in the roll individually." "Why didn't you just get sashimi?" "This is cheaper." Well, if you are a royal pain in the ass like me, Mobo is a great place for you. On top of the plethora of roll options that they have on the menu (including vegetarian and vegan options...we are in Santa Cruz after all...I will refrain from shoe-optional jokes), they also have a "design your own roll" option. You can add certain types of fish, vegetables, or sauces to your base of rice and seaweed for different price increments per item. HOW COOL IS THAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Even fastidious tools such as myself can have their cake...er...sushi and eat it too at Mobo! The location is not visible from the street. The directions will say by Traders Joe's*; they really mean that it is behind it. *The largest Trader Joe's I've ever seen...like "Big K-Mart" by Trader Joe's standards.
(3)
Alex Q.
As far as Santa Cruz sushi places go, this is probably the worst. I went for a friends birthday party and right from the get-go it was not a very nice experience. First of all, they put 2 Costco tables together for us (no tablecloth? really?)... Secondly, the prices are fairly high for relatively small rolls and if I am paying $20+ for dinner, I expect quality. There was not much quality here: one of the rolls used the little small frozen shrimp that were tasteless and another roll tasted bitter when nothing in the roll should have been bitter. The ambiance was pretty nice though, the birthday party was enjoyable and the service was nice. They even had a picture of a tiger on the wall which was pretty funny (one of the characters in the name Mobo means 'tiger'). It's just that the quality of the food was so hard to get over that I would much rather go to Sushi Totoro or I Love Sushi.
(1)
Lisa B.
This is a fun place to come with a large group. The menu is varied enough to accommodate vegetarians and people who don't like sushi. Eating outside is pleasant despite the view-less venue and service is fast though perfunctory. Our family really likes sushi, however, and after several visits to Mobo we all agreed that the freshness and presentation pizzazz that we expect at a sushi restaurant--especially having been spoiled by all the options over the hill in Silicon Valley--just isn't there. The vegetarian rolls are creative. The miso soup and bento boxes are good. But the actual sushi is just so so.
(3)
ShiitakesroOms L.
My favorite sushi place in Santa Cruz.. (it switched from I love sushi to this) I could name of the things I order in this place and it NEVER EVER disappoints me.. Its like a Japanese fusion restaurant, most definitely can't find your typical "rainbow roll" here.. 1. Eliminator - love the crunch from the macadamia nuts. And if your craving unagi this is a good roll to have.. 2. Pinapple Express - your lion king roll with a pineapple on top. SUPER DELICIOUS. A bit on the expensive side 3. McRandy - love the smoked salmon. mmm 4. DONT SKIP OUT ON THEIR HOUSE SALAD!!! The dressing is to die for.. I'm glad I tried it.. Those are the usual rolls I go for. I've tried the flying tiger and a roll very similar to the mcrandy roll.. I love this place.. Can't really say anything bad about it either.. OH their udon.. YUMMY ON A COLD DAY.. (the one with everything in it) I go here to get my soup fix if I don't want to drive all the way to sanjo just to get some pho.. If you want to venture off into new sushi territory - this is the place to go.. And its pretty decently priced too!!
(5)
Erica M.
Mobo is "OK". We are regulars elsewhere, but most Sushi joints are closed on a Sunday so we decided to give it a try. We have been to Mobo probably a handful of times over the years, but I can't say I have ever left impressed. The good: A huge selection of rolls for sure. The Bad: we both agreed that there was a salty flavor to our Nigiri and our rolls. I know, kind of strange but I left about 8 rolls uneaten because of the salty flavor. Service was great and attentive, but it's just not the best place for Sushi in Santa Cruz. Not horrible, but not the best.
(3)
Robert S.
What can I say I like Mobo and if I have to go to a place downtown I always pick Mobo over the rest. the mix of sushi chefs believe it or not are white and Japanese and all put together some quality food. I am either here with a group in which we ALWAYS have sat outside and the service has still been exceptional and quick to take are order and serve our food and drinks. My favorite is getting a table right near the sushi chefs. There are bar seats all around and a couple booth setup in a stair like fashion off to the side that is like a viewing deck as you sit side by side with your dinner date or guest. This always adds to the experiences and makes the sushi service much much quicker. I always order sushi or sashimi when coming here so that is mainly what i can comment on. I have a craving to always order rolls with macadamian nuts or just straight sashimi. Mobo has a good deal of selection for both parts. I am getting a craving for Sushi as I write this review. I may just drive down to Santa Cruz and get some mmmmmmm I am tired of all the deep fried type rolls up here in San Mateo. I missing living in Santa Cruz.
(4)
chloe m.
I was told this was the best Sushi in Santa Cruz. It may well be but I guess I am spoiled by Imurra's in Watsonville. MOBO cannot come close.
(3)
Taylor M.
I really like Mobo! Being vegan, it's usually pretty hard to find more than the standard side of rice and cucumber roll at a sushi place, but Mobo makes it easy by clearly labeling everything as either vegetarian or vegan AND providing an entire page of vegetarian style rolls. I've never disliked anything I've ordered here. Even better, the staff has never been weird about special orders or altering menu items to make them vegan. It's always busy, but I've never noticed service suffering because of it, and I've never experienced a long wait. Seating is prompt, food comes quickly, and you don't have to wait twenty minutes for the bill after you've finished eating. What's more, it's always CLEAN in there! Eat here! You won't regret it!!
(5)
Michelle S.
I was really underwhelmed by this place. My boyfriend took me here for dinner on my birthday, and I kinda wish we'd gone somewhere else instead. I love going to Sushi Restaurants to sample their special rolls, but Mobo didn't have that big of a selection. The portions were small for the price, and the fish didn't seem that fresh. The atmosphere was cool though! I'm going elsewhere in the future for my sushi fix
(2)
seanmichael r.
*I'm a vegetarian, I do not eat seafood, this rating is for vegetarian dishes only* Are you a vegetarian? Do you like sushi? MOBO is the place for you. I am a sushi addict. I can never get enough. I have eaten in sushi restaurants all across the U.S. and in JAPAN. No restaurant I have been to has been able to top the selection, creativity, and overall taste of MOBO's vegetarian rolls. Not only that but you can create your own from scratch and get any roll tempura'd for a $1.00! I'd tempura everything in my life for a $1.00 if that was an option. We had one small issue once, and the manager came over and solved it right away with a smile. If the weather is nice, sit out on the patio! It's lovely.
(5)
Jaime O.
Very pleased. We popped in for a bite after the "the Sweet" free show (check out the sweet, man oh man do they rock-- BIG fan!) daddy had the bento box - filling and satisfying Baby blue had the ikura and shared on bento box I had udon "tori" - it wasn't flavorful - but I'll still be back. Large beer and sake - we ordered the sweet one - our bad. Our server was great. The experience was enjoyable. see you there next week for the Tubes!
(4)
Lisa H.
They really need to disclose that they automatically add 10% to all takeout orders when people call. But what's really bad is that they don't even tell you when you go to pay. You'll just notice that your bill amounts to more than you expect (if you calculate the total while ordering that is). If you call them on it they'll say its a gratuity fee, but hold on, isn't a gratuity fee supposed to be for good service? Hmmm. I actually wouldn't mind paying a gratuity fee, even for takeout, if the service is really good. But when I feel I'm being ripped off, I don't think so.
(3)
Claire L.
What more can I say about Mobo than INCREDIBLE! I've been coming here for years, and the food quality has never disappointed. When I come with family or friends, we are consistently impressed by the attentiveness of the wait staff and the friendliness of everyone who works in the restaurant. I have yet to be disappointed with hospitality. Every time I come I order the miso soup, the dinner salad with miso dressing, edamame, and several rolls. My favorite, most frequently selected rolls are: Death Star/Guido (a vegetarian Death Star), Crunch Dragon, Flying Tiger, Miami Roll, Shizo Heavy, Mad Dog, and Krazy Kat. Some other excellent rolls are Scooter Roll, Special K, Pineapple Express, Starstruck (add Mango), Surfing Asparagus, and Snoball Maki. I would recommend more rolls with Unagi, but the Unagi is typically my only complaint with the restaurant; it's not always as fresh as it could be. The rolls are decently priced, and always very tasty. After dinner, if you have room, don't hesitate to order the tempura banana dessert with ice cream; my favorite types of ice cream are the Mango and Coconut, but the Green Tea isn't bad. You won't be disappointed!
(5)
Katrina B.
Great service and even better sushi! Creative, fresh, delicious rolls and a HUGE vegetarian section. Possibly my new favorite restaurant in Santa Cruz. It's also very affordable, about $5-$6 per roll. Makes me happy.
(5)
Vicky T.
The Sushi chef here is impressive. When it comes to art, some use paints, others pencils or pens, clay or other "art" products. At Mobo the art comes in the form of its sushi. If you have the opportunity sit at the Sushi Bar and watch the master in action. He made this GORGEOUS iguana (yes an iguana) from sashimi which also had a turnip flower and a wasabi crane with a carrot bill. The service can vary (it is a hit or miss on quality)-- however the ridiculous creative masterpieces that the Sushi Chefs come up with are almost worth the price (if the fish wasn't as fresh as it is I would have some issues). update: chicken teri is the best i have tasted thus far here in sc.. there is enough sauce, and the meat isn't all dried out. the udon is more americanized than anything.... there are way too much meat and everything gets drowned out so there is no distinct flavor.... over all though.. i still feel this is one of the better places to go for japanese around this town
(4)
Misty N.
Love the fish tank, love the food!
(4)
Bob V.
Had the sushi lunch special, which is a chef's choice each day. Cost is $9.99. Was very good. Full liquor bar and authentic looking sushi bar. I felt the sushi was very well made, some unique rolls as well. Will post photos of dishes in future (need to download from phone).
(4)
Bruce B.
I'm a little confused about this place. Service is good and fish quality is decent but not the best. It's never melt-in-your-mouth quality. The cooked food sucks - I've tried almost everything here. But the creativity in their rolls and deviations is outstanding. I love the Tsunami and Ice 9 deviations. The scooby-do had a funny taste to it. The Tazuna is like a huge dragon roll - big pieces of raw fish on a CA roll. But tonight they gave the dragon legs made of scallops and more fish. The Corrupter roll (basil, garlic, mac nuts) works really well. Oh, try to get the upper seat in their stadium type booth by the sushi bar. Best seat in the house.
(3)
Noelle E.
Went here tonight for a date, and it was good fresh eats and nice hearty portions. Service was fine and successful and our server was to the point and politely sweet. It was about 6:30 pm on a Sunday night. The Nor-Cal roll is piled quite high with light and tasty small popcorn shrimps and some teriyaki like sauce to smear it in. I ordered it as a starter because I am used to places skimping and giving me a very small roll where just 3 or 4 pieces are sitting all lonely on a pristine plate. No - this was quite filling so I urged my date to split it with me. My entree was the cooked yellowtail collars over rice. The sauce was also teriaki like, and it came with pickled veggie slices on the side, and thin slices of green onion and carrot on the top sprinkled with black sesame seeds. The fish was really fresh and really A+. I don't know that I've eaten yellowtail before and I was impressed - it reminded me of a white flesh salmon with a milder and less heavy taste - which I really appreciated. Slid right off the bones and thicker skin onto my chop sticks. Very very good. So filling that b/c i got the roll to start I ended up taking half home. My date got the beef teriyaki and sushi bento box: beef teriyaki, carrots, broccoli, salad, cali roll 6 pcs., one tuna, one eel and one yellowtail nigiri, and pickled cucumbers. He really enjoyed it. It was a generous amount of food, and he was very stuffed at the end. He also ordered a large Sake for himself, which I had a couple little sips of, and it was flavorfully delish. Not a terribly cheap dinner, but not overly expensive either. A good meal. My only "eh" thoughts about it is that it was very simple and traditional and the flavors didn't blow me away. The food tasted quite good - but it was because the ingredients were good not because they were seasoned or sauced especially well. Sometimes this is a very good thing since simple and fresh and good can be a blessing, but when I eat out I normally appreciate bursts of mixes of tasty and interesting flavor. That being said I would say most classic Japanese American food in general is like this and that if anything, its a good sign.
(4)
Tatiane B.
Good location. Very nice atmosphere. Different choices on the menu. Food presentation was 10 out of 10. As far as taste I woul give 8 out of 10. We left happy :)
(4)
h s.
yay!!!! we're here!!!!!!!!!!!! we drove all the way from san jose to eat here!!! not for the the boardwalk, or for the ocean. it was for MOBO!!! omg!!! we were so in love with this place. the servers are friendly and the food is just awesome!! the have this boat thing, and it's like a life size boat for a little kid filled with sushi, sashmi and rolls!!!! YUM!! MY FAVORITE............MOBO WRAP!! are you kidding me???? this simple healthy creation has got me driving all the way from san jose just so i can have a bite of this wrap!! TRY TRY TRY!! and you'll be in LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!
(5)
Daddy O.
EDIT 6/11/2008 ======= I came in tonight and ordered a few simple rolls to go. When I got home and bit into the first few, I got so much tendon, I actually gagged. The entire rolls were like this. Back down to 2 stars. EDIT: 1/7/2008 ======= I came back here with the NYF (who had never been) and some friends on Friday evening and the fish was actually pretty good this time around. No fishy or soapy flavors to speak of. Our custom "maki" rolls came out with a crapload of rice on the outside, which is not how maki rolls are made, but decided it wasn't worth complaining. The mean reason being that the service is still grossly inadequate, borderline rude, and complaining would have gotten us nowhere. The presentation of the fish was sloppy and unappealing to the eye. Sushi is still supposed to be an art form, not just slap 'n go fish rice and nori. Mobo failed to impress me with their hastily prepared rolls. Also, I still can't stand how poorly ventilated the place feels. It's like walking in to a steam room. One that gets cleaned out about once every year or so. Hard to work up an appetite. I've moved them from 2 to 3 stars.
(2)
Velvet C.
come here for the free saki bombs on friday night before 830, but the sushi is cheap in quality and price. i think the reason that it is popular is that it is cheap for students. plus free beer! duh!
(2)
Shannon C.
I don't understand how anyone could live in Santa Cruz. I grew up in the South Bay, so Santa Cruz was always a short drive and a ditched last period class away. When I moved back from living in the midwest, Santa Cruz was the epitome of all things I believed to be California. But then I grew up. And I went to Europe. I lost whatever desire to live cheek-by-jowl with pretentious students that I had remaining, and I started liking guys that shave. I developed a bit of taste and remembered that hippies and college students are equally annoying, and unfortunately, share the same palate. Because when you're stoned or too old to remember good things or too young to know at all, everything tastes delicious. Most of the food in Santa Cruz reflects this low, stoner-based standard: the desserts are always the best part of the meal. Mobo is one of the places I can bring myself to eat in Santa Cruz. The Broccoli Roll is pretty good, consisting of broccoli (WOW, really ?), cashews, and miso mayonaise. See that ? See how they snuck mayonaise in ? Stoners. I'm going to ignore that, cos it's pretty good. The impossible-to-ruin Kappa Maki is also good, but that's sort of where it ends. Their specialty rolls cater to the tastes of someone fond of casseroles, mixing cereals, or really confusing and often conflicting flavors and are usually very disappointing. And the fish is pretty nasty and questionable. They don't get a lot of it fresh: it comes shrink wrapped from who knows where. Good to know. They also charge an 18% gratuity for groups over 5 people, and a 10% gratuity for take-out orders. That brings the price from Ridiculous For This Quality all the way up to Are You Fucking Kidding, This Wasn't Even That Good ! In summation: Broccoli rolls are good, but Allison W. makes a good approximation of it in her own kitchen for half the price. Deal !
(2)
Kimmy B.
Although this isn't my favorite sushi restaurant I do love their nigiri. Mobo Sushi's nigiri is fresh, flavorful, delicious and so far the best that I've had in the Santa Cruz area.
(4)
annie s.
A visit to Santa Cruz to me means I get to spend time with my family, especially my incredible niece McKenzie and its also come to mean a date with her at Mobo. Anyone who knows me might have had the chance to meet this incredible human being and if you've not been so lucky, you've surely heard about her, because I love this kid and am so proud of her and constantly sing her accolades. Mobo has an incredible and diverse menu, good fish and is actually a huge restaurant now that does incredible amounts of business which is a quality I like to see in restaurants especially raw fish restaurants. I love this place and have since I was in high school growing up in Santa Cruz (back in the day) when the room was a lot smaller.
(4)
Maximillian M.
If you're looking for "authentic" sushi, this isn't the place. Instead, you get some pretty crazy takes on sushi rolls, several with macadamias, cashews, cream cheese, and/or garlic added to the usual ingredients. Truthfully, the food quality is three stars--the rolls look spectacular, but once you taste, they're just good. The fourth star is for the crazy low prices... and the crazy sake bomb spectacle, which I saw being prepped but missed the actual event.
(4)
Charlie G.
Classy, classier, classiest! I had the best evening hanging out at this sushi bar. For two hours I got to chat with the chefs about motorcycles while munching on some of the freshest, tastiest nigiri I've ever had. I blew a LOT of money, but it was SO worth it: muguro, hamachi, ebi, kani, unagi...and do NOT forget the spicy tuna. The sake was delicious. The conversation was stimulating. This is definitely my favorite sushi spot in all the bay area.
(5)
Michael G.
It is hard to know what quality of food you are going to get at Mobo. Most of the time the food is above average, however occasionally the poor quality of the fish renders certain dishes relatively uneatable. I generally stay clear of the raw fish at Mobo (i had a really bad experience with some yellow tail). The cooked dishes are usually always on point. The restaurant atmosphere is above average. The good thing is that there is almost always a table open...
(3)
Arob A.
I got sick here two separate times. Yes I went back after the first time because the food tasted good and I wasn't sure that it was what got me sick. Probably want to avoid this place.
(1)
Manami K.
As a sushi snob, I can't say that Mobo has "quality" fish. But they have many creative rolls and a lot of different kinds of veggie rolls for vegetarians and vegans. So that's a plus. But they also make their sushi with regular rice and not sushi rice. That is kind of not acceptable to me. But I like their creativity and selections of different sushi.
(2)
Tracy N.
I came here with low expectations. Never really WOWed me. But I kept returning and everything has always been consistent. Never received a bad order or bad attitude from the staff. Seating placement has been tricky sometimes (placed cramped in between 2 large parties once, I felt like we were invading their space or vice versa; was placed on a strange cramped platform/stage area before too?!). Sashimi is always fresh. I think the rolls are some hit and miss. There is too much razzle dazzle when I think they should be concentrating more on the fresh fish. My favorite roll is shizo-fine which is a mackerel based roll with shizo leaf, strong flavors I would say that are acquired. But they make it good!
(4)
Trevor C.
This is my first review ever, take it as a warning. Mobo Sushi is without a doubt one of the most disgusting places I have ever eaten. On multiple occasions, friends have told me this is their favorite place for sushi; I cannot even begin to comprehend why. After trying it once and not enjoying it I decided to give it another shot even after my sub par first experience. This was a mistake. First, the sushi is disgusting and I advise you to take caution before ingesting. It tastes as if it has been sitting for weeks. I ordered the Lion Roll, a style of roll that I have loved at every other sushi place I have been to. The presentation was nice, until you saw the color, or should I say lack thereof in the fish. The fish appeared as though it had been left out for a week or more. I was skeptical but I of course had to try it seeing as I had just dropped a good chunk of money on it. I wish I had gone with my gut and never let it hit my gut. It was absolutely terrible. The taste was that of week old fish which is exactly why it appeared to be. We called the waitress over and explained that the fish tasted old and bad. She was very sweet and promptly took away the lion roll and allowed us to order a new one free of charge. I wish I hadn't even taken up her offer. The next roll came out and appeared to have the same problems. Lack of color, foul tasting, and overall exactly what a sushi roll shouldn't be. The only positive I took away from this was the excellent service and apologies from the wait staff which I assume comes from the fact that thy have to deal with this sort of thing often. Do not go to mobi sushi. There are a handful of other sushi places throughout the county that are leagues above Mobo.
(1)
Sara M.
I come to Mobo almost everytime I come to Santa Cruz. When I still ate fish, theirs was good. I don't now and I love (and very much appreciate) the variety of ingredients on the menu to make vegetarian/vegan rolls. I seriously go crazy. Plus there is no egg in their tempura - which means lots of deep fried goodness. Hey-o! It gets five stars from me because I really enjoy eating here - even when it's packed or the service is sketch. Mobo is integral to Santa Cruz for me, so granted - maybe I'm attaching some unscientific emotion to my review but whatevs. It's not fancy here or making-me-cry-it's-so-tasty culinary amazingness (like Minako in SF) but I always look forward to coming here - whether for a quick meal or for a birthday party when we have to sit at the huge stupid plastic-y folding table. I love the rolls that I order, I love having a big beer, I love the back patio in the summer. The service at Mobo lately has actually been pretty good.....which is weird, because normally it's not good but that's always been kindof ok & almost part of the charm. Did I mention that Mobo introduced me to the lemon+edamame combo? I'm srsly HOOKED on that for life. xo mobo por vida
(5)
Shanna K.
Best sushi in town, IMO. A mix of fun, creative rolls, (both vegetarian and not), the more traditional, plus good sukiyaki, teriyaki, udon etc. All delicious. They also have very good service. They acknowlege you when you walk in the door, even if they can't help you right away. Within a few moments of being seated water is on your table, the food is delivered as fast as possible (sometimes it's really packed and busy) and as friendly as possible. And the owner, a petite and elegant looking Asian woman is always present.. overseeing everything. The fish is always fresh. I've been eating here regularly for about 5 years now and have never had issue. I also like that they have normal sized pieces. Oftentimes sushi is SO big that you can't even get it in your mouth and it's just stupid. I don't care if I'm not "getting the most for my money" or whatever... I want to be able to eat like a normal person. Hooray Mobo!
(5)
Sarah S.
Been coming here for years. And it's really pretty good. They have a very creative selection of rolls. I almost always order shizo fine. It's a roll with saba and shizo leaves. Very tangy but addicting. I do not offer to share that one. I've gone with many different people over the years and always have a good time and everyone seems to enjoy their meals.
(4)
Lee H.
not my favorite place for sushi in sc but its a good change from totoro and i love sushi. personally im not into fusion sushi with nuts and maybe thats why i didnt like it as much. their roles are pretty creative but i just wasnt feeling it much and neither was my friend who ordered this role thatt had ginger inside which he wasnt expecting. most of the night we kept taking ingredients out of the rolls. Also service was not the best. we waited a good 20 minutes before our order was taken and the place is pretty small. one hugee plus tho is that they have free sake bombs on ffriday and saturday nights at the bar. its literally the coolest domino effect thing ive ever seen. theres dozens of shots waiting to be tipped at 8 pm and aftterwards anyone 21+ with an id can just grab a sake bomb and go back to their sushi
(3)
Jon S.
I dig it! Good rolls, friendly staff... what more can you ask for? Favorites; flying tiger, spicy tuna, guido... there are a few others but I forget the names.. The miso soup is always good too. I like that the owner can be found at the end of the bar reading.... Says to me that he actually cares about his place!
(4)
Brian B.
I've only been to this restaurant a couple of times, but each time has been a whimsical experience. The first time I went there, I sat at the bar and enjoyed the regular sushi rolls I usually get at Takara. They tasted the same as Takara's, but the prices where a little higher. The second time was spent at a table with all my friends celebrating a birthday. We had affordable (and very tasty) combo boxes. They came with some sushi on the menu that none of us cared for, and our waitress let us switch around all the different types of sushi we actually wanted. There's a long list of vegetarian rolls and a plentiful amount of appetizers. They even have a "roll your own" section, which I'm anxious to try. What to look at while you're waiting for your food: At the bar, look up to see that the lights have fake cherry blossom pedals on the other side of the plastic glass. "What an idea!" I said to myself. Then I ate my sushi, because it didn't take long at all for the food to come.
(4)
Lanie L.
it was a saturday night authentic asian food nowhere in sight what do i expect from santa cruz? there's only white food and bad booze but thanks to yelp i found Mobo grabbed the boyfriend and yelled "let's go!" 40 degrees, outside my feet were like ice but these 2 girls picked us up--they were really nice. they dropped us off in the parking lot and we ran inside like moths flying to where it's hot. a whole page dedicated to vegetarian rolls, i ordered Crop Burning and The Guido. the rolls were delicious! the nuts added a kick and unlike other reviews, the waitresses weren't dicks they greeted us instantly, they were really nice they even came around to fill our water twice when the bill came, there was no need to weep unless you're at 'i love sushi' on the other street. they're even open late--by that i mean 11. good food good price good service...am i in heaven?
(5)
Brian H.
I was passing by Santa Cruz on the way to Monterey and found this place. I figured it was good since it was crowded but boy was I wrong. The rolls were less than sub par and I felt like I can make better. Prices were somewhat reasonable. Not again.
(2)
Tyler D.
Sushi so-so, service sucks
(2)
Am L.
We have been dining at Mobo Sushi since the mid-90s. We enjoy the variety of rolls and the freshness of their fish. They have a decent selection of traditional Japanese food, which is great when bringing family/friends who don't eat sushi. Our kids love their food too, and the fish tank in the smallest room helps keep young kids entertained so parents can eat. We were sad when the original owner died, as she always greeted us, and remembered our oldest child from the time she was tiny. However, her brother (or brother-in-law?) seems to have kept up the quality and consistency, even expanding the business into another large room. Reservations aren't really needed since their expansion, and they are a great place for a large party (reservations needed for those). When Santa Cruz weather permits, there is a large outside patio.
(4)
Ariel M.
I have been on two first dates here, and ended up sitting in the exact same table!! Gotta love Irony! One never worked out the other lasted for over a year! As for the food, its hit or miss. Sometimes its good, other times its not so wonderful. I really think it depends of the day and how fresh the fish is. Never the less, its usually popping, on weekend nights it gets pretty busy. But for the price you can't go wrong!! And if you have friends who don't eat fish, they have the best vegetarian roll selection!! Its at least worth a try!!
(3)
Noah R.
The more creative sushi is definitely the way to go here. My girlfriend and I regularly order the Banana Slug, a giant rainbow roll that can feed two. It's definitely worth it. We're also huge fans of the Pink Caddy, Corrupter, and Guido rolls. It's cheap enough to not feel like we're breaking the bank, and it still feels like a special treat.
(4)
Seth E.
Mobos gets 3.5 stars in my book, I want to give it 4... It deserves 4, but I just cant bring myself to give it 4. The sushi is pretty good, the prices are fair, and there is ample room. However, it can be a bit crowded on certain days and the service is never very fast or particularly friendly. These flaws being common at sushi places generally inclines me to get my orders to go, which is easily accommodated by most restaurants. Mobos however charges a 10% fee for all take out orders, which is unreasonable considering they have to do less work for take out orders. If you're new to the area, or just haven't tried mobos it is definitely worth a shot, but don't set your expectations too high.
(3)
Nichole S.
I love the vegetarian roll selection here, and I love the lunch specials. It's always a good day or night when we go to Mobos.
(4)
Neil C.
Mobo has a great selection of rolls and very unique too. The service was so so and the best part was on Saturday nights they do a sake bomb waterfall. If you are 21 you just show your ID after the waterfall and you get a free sake bomb.
(4)
Jeff D.
Color me pleasantly surprised. After seeing the upbeat interior, the non-Japanese sushi chefs, and the menu that serves everything, I expected an awful disaster. We ordered rolls, and what came on our plate was not a bunch of sushi with too much rice nor was the rice falling apart. In fact, it was sufficiently decent. It wasn't perfect. Some of our rolls were a bit dry. And the menu would often refer to salmon as sake (but confusingly sometimes as just "salmon" as well) in a case of bizarre eccentric behavior. In the end, it was relatively inexpensive at around $15 a person, and the service was good. I would give it a 3.5, which rounds to 4.
(4)
Amber P.
I love sushi, and this is my fav place to go! Love the food and I guess the service is not always great but I've never had a real problem. The crazy kat is hands down my favorite roll maybe ever? Tyr it if you like spicy garlic and mucho flavor. This is always my birthday choice to eat out at.
(5)
Tricia M.
My boyfriend and I went here two nights ago, rather late. Other places close at 9 or 10, but Mobo is open until 11pm... which is great for people who like taking late naps and procrastinating into the night, like I do. We spent a little over $40 in sushi, including two steaming hot miso soups and a huge platter filled with sushi. The waitress was really strange but very good at her job. Our sushi got to our table and into our belly faster than most restaurants can manage and our ice water, remained filled the entire time. Very good service for 10pm!!! I can't tell you what my boyfriend ordered, because he ordered 5 things, but I got the spicy tuna roll (simple, but my fav) and the Tropimaki roll... which I probably botched in spelling... but its great. Eel, macadamia nuts, and avocado... yum. The eel was smooth and nutty, just like I like it! There were two sassy blond girls sitting behind us complaining that didn't get what they wanted. The sushi chef brought them a free roll of sushi and apologized. I thought that was pretty nice of them. After all, it was almost 10:40 by the time they got there, and its a known fact that you can't always get what you want at a fresh (RAW) fish restaurant before closing. Anyhow, even though the presentation of the sushi is not to true Japanese artistic standards. I think after coming to Mobo's twice I can say the sushi is more about eating it here than experiencing as an art. I was hungry and not interested in gawking at my food on this particular evening. Nor did I let the garage sale art on the wall bother me... there was a tiger and a rino in a boat... both very random and inappropriately hung. I admit there are prettier, more authentic, places to eat sushi in Santa Cruz, but I guess that after being an inexperienced silly "white person" I don't let those things bother me too much. After all, maybe I'm just eating sushi because I think it's cool? Nope. That was sarcasm, kids. I recommend Mobos to the non-sushi snob who isn't a racist and who still has a moderate humor in tact. I enjoyed the bro-punk-hippy union going on in the restaurant, and you should too.
(4)
Lee G.
Last time I reviewed, I had had a couple of bad experiences, but it seems like some good changes have been made here. A friend convinced me to try it again earlier in the week and everything we ate was delicious. Then 5 days later I went again for a birthday dinner with a group of people on a Friday night and again everything tasted great and fresh. I was worried the rush of a Friday would lessen the quality, but I love being proven wrong. The seating is a little cramped and a couple of , the waitresses have "diner" attitudes, but if you can get over those issues than it's worth giving it a try.
(4)
Scott B.
I totally recommend this place and I'd rate it 4, but the prices have gone up recently it seems, and the service was slow, but the food is REALLY excellent and their 8:30 PM free Saki Bombs are bomb! I love their "build your own roll," that was just great. The wasabi was fresh and hot. All the rolls that I and my friends ordered were really tasty and fresh.
(3)
Emiko T.
People give me a twisted, scrunched face when I've said Mobos is horrible. Yeah, well that's the face I ALSO had when I ate their food. It seems that either people love it or hate it and I guess I fall into the latter category on the account that even if their sushi is experimental and "fun" why does it have to actually TASTE like a science project? Bad miso, rubbery chicken and a simply unpleasant restaurant. Now that I've yelped it, I can finally rest easy :)
(1)
Elizabeth M.
This is a review by a vegetarian, for vegetarians. Can't really speak to the quality of the actual, authentic sushi because the fish thing... However, any other vegetarian will know that it's difficult to find a sushi restaurant with tasty, interesting, and varied veg sushi. Usually you end up with some kappa maki and a salad, or something. Mobo has a fantastic selection of really creative vegetarian options. The seaweed salad is a good standby, but I recently tried the udon tahini appetizer. Nice and creamy, served with warm noodles and cool vegetables. The Iron Man roll is beets, spinach, smoked tofu, and shizo. It's a really interesting and delicious roll, but I found that by the end of it, the flavor of the shizo was kinda getting to me. I'd recommend sharing this roll with someone. The service here is generally great, though. The owner really takes pride in his business and freely interacts with the customers. Just wish they were open for lunch.
(4)
Lilith O.
My husband and I love this place... He loves the grilled teriyaki salmon dinner. Sometimes the nice waitstaff will make him the big dinner box with salmon instead of chicken or beef. Lots of food for the price. I order from the wide selection of veggie rolls: I ask for them to come without mayonnaise and they still taste great.
(5)
Gina T.
I have been eating at MOBO for 10+ years. I think it's the Best Sushi in Santa Cruz and it is my favorite place to eat in SC. Try the... Serious Nigiri Combo (espcially their fresh sake nigiri), Corruptor, Special K, Rock & Roll, Guido, & Miami Very good options for vegetarians too -- one time I happened to order all veggie rolls and the waitperson offered veggie miso soup as an option.
(5)
Sara C.
This place has an awesome selection of delicious vegan sushi. Sushi is the one thing I've had a really hard time giving up since going vegan, and Mobo definitely makes the withdrawals a lot easier! I thought the service was decent, and both times I went there, there was no wait (even though I came with a party of 7 on a Saturday for one of those times). I'd definitely recommend this checking it out!
(4)
Gina P.
Not a fan of Mobo at all. Simply because I'm obsessed and I do mean totally obsessed with Unagi, and frankly their unagi always tastes weird. Not really crazy about the staff either. I feel like there are many other places you get get better sushi within 10 minutes of this place.
(1)
Jaime K.
I really like this place. My friend introduced me to this place and I was impressed with the sushi and the great prices. The crowd is really diverse here but its super causal and relaxed--can be a bit loud though. I really like the special k roll. The portions are big and all the rolls I've tried are super yum!
(4)
Ryan J.
Totally fine sushi place. Been here probably 30 times. Pretty quick, pretty consistant quality, fast service. One time I sat down and wasnt served and left but thats like 1/30. Whatever, every place deserves a fluke. I like this place much more for their rolls than their nigiri or sashimi. The serpent tiger roll with the tempura prawn and unagi is pretty badass. If I read another review of a sushi place with some random white guy calling it overpriced I am probably going to snap. Wow sushi is expensive who would have thought? To say Mobo is MORE expensive than the other places in santa cruz is just flat out incorrect. So I guess I just wanted to clarify that part of the restaurant. It was never the price that bothered me, the fish could be a bit better though, but yeah, like i said before, totally serviceable Japanese place.
(3)
tor h.
So we ordered from Mobo because "they are the best sushi in town." That's what the hotel said. I was psyched. I looooooooove sushi. I always seek it out, whether in NYC, LA or, well, anywhere. I've had great sushi. This was not it. The salmon sushi was dry and looked old, not shiny and fresh, but almost foggy in color. The tuna roll was okay, but somehow smaller than most rolls. I will say the miso soup was great and the seaweed salad is a must, but overall, really just okay. Great sushi will leave you sated, but bot feeling overly full. I went away with a bit of a pit in my stomach. The worst, though, was arriving back at the hotel to discover they didn't include soy sauce packets in the bag. When I called to ask about it (after already driving 10 minutes in the rain), they said they don't do that automatically, but ask the customer if they would like it. Don't include soy sauce in the bag automatically!????? Inexcusable. Absurd. Last I checked there wasn't a soy sauce shortage.
(2)
Will C.
On one hand I'm a bit surprised that Mobo is probably the most popular sushi join in Santa Cruz. It's extremely expensive considering the slightly inauthentic taste, almost always crowded and loud, and the service is somewhat mediocre on occasion. So why do I keep coming back? Partly the reason is because Mobo does have a few positives up their sleeves. They've got a nice selection compared to some places which have smaller menus - and isn't more choice always a good choice? Another nice thing, as some have pointed out, is that the place is open until eleven o'clock, later than the majority of the shops downtown! It's the perfect pre-midnight movie meal before going to see - oh, let's just "Spirited Away" or some other Ghibli film. Still, the suffocating atmosphere and pricey food really puts a huge dent in the dining experience at Mobo, which is one of the reasons why I don't really like it that much. I much prefer Benten, which is more authentic, slightly less expensive, and has a much nicer, calmer vibe to it. Even if it doesn't stay open as late or serve donburi for dinner.
(3)
Q T.
Always fantastic sushi! The servers are helpful. Some nights can get pretty busy so plan accordingly. Last time I went I tried the Tazuna roll. It was a California roll topped with nigiri style sushi and made to look like a dragon. It was $18 but it was like getting 3-4 rolls. I was told that every time it is made differently, so I think I will go back and try it again. Yummmmmmmm I have not had a bad experience here yet.
(5)
Sandra H.
Cool decor, lots of parking (don't let the strip mall location scare you away) - EXCELLENT sushi!!! Lots of incredible combinations, plus very clearly marked vegetarian and vegan selections. The fish was beautiful and fresh. Try it today!!!
(4)
Jason C.
Vegetarians and Vegans here's your haven. Awesomely original sushi and taki rolls. The Snowball (not snow roll) with mandarine oranges! A lot of vegetables are a bit too big to bite easily, but it's got fresh spunk. I swear you had to be high to come up with most of the combinations. They're so out there. I would sub some of the ingredients for ones I thought fit better. It's definitely an inspiration into creative sushi combinations. You've got to try at least one. Hopefully you get the combination you like so you'll be brave enough to try another. Hey many of the combinations aren't for everyone, yet sushi is so common place here's one that challenges the sushi stereotype. Go for it if anything else just to defy sushi One roll is about 4-6 dollars and be warned that you might need that extra kick in your soy sauce for a bit of flavor. If you're looking for your run of the mill standard sushi joint you might just try a chain like sushi boat. Their regular style sushi isn't all that great. Frankly I feel like a little adventure and imagination is good for the soul.
(5)
Emmanuel B.
I was steered to Mobo by a friend of mine that went to UCSC. I have to say, it we pretty good. Not great, but good. But, definitely the best sushi I've had in Santa Cruz County. McRandy Roll is rad! Great vibe, parking sucks because they share a parking lot with Trader Joe's and Longs. I'd go back though.
(3)
M L.
Disappointing doesn't even begin to describe tonight's experience. I drove an hour just to go here with my son and husband for an early Mother's Day treat for me as a vegetarian. Evening was totally ruined by a lousy dish of "Roc n Roll" served to my husband and son. It was bad enough that it tasted horrible (due to bad Unagi). It added insult to injury that the manager would not take it back. I spoke with the manager twice because I was so incredulous the first time that this was actually happening. The second time, the truth came out that - she said they don't take dishes back because they could "go out of business" by losing money when customers do that. Well, for the cost of a $6.25 plate of maki, they have lost my business permanently, as well as earned themselves a one star review on Yelp and a call to the Santa Cruz health department on Monday. I told her that other restaurants don't treat their customers as potential fraudsters and seem to do well. It's more likely that you'll go out of business with this lousy customer service. I highly recommend that you take this as a lesson in what might happen to you as well if you run into a bad piece of sushi at Mobo. Food sitting around seems more likely since the place was half empty on a Saturday night from 7-8pm; something's up with this place and seems like I just was unlucky enough to not be in the know before I got there. Other Yelpers beware!
(1)
Khanh T.
Their service was good, but their sushi sucks. I was really craving for sushi this one day and I decided to try Mobo Sushi after hearing reviews from my friends. One thing that they did mention was that they have only eaten the warm/hot meals there and not the sushi. I should have taken that note into consideration. Their sushi rice was not flavored at all (you know, the vinegar and all that good stuff that should be in sushi rice), it just tasted like regular cooked rice. The rolls were not neatly rolled, it was pretty sloppy. It just wasn't pleasant overall. My waitress didn't really get my order right, but it's fine, I didn't really care at that point. The servers were nice though, but if I was ever brought here to eat, I think I'll just stick to trying the hot foods instead of the sushi.
(1)
Candy Y.
rolls were alright, all just smaller than expected at least they were not drowned in weird mayo sauce got the landshark, mercedes benz, spicy big mac also had the Nabeyaki Udon and Giyuniku Udon i had the nabeyaki udon and omg it was burning hot which was awesome and i guess the way it's supposed to be but i had a difficult time eating it because it was so hot. too bad, i was disappointed with the soup of the udon. it was sour-ish the first time i tried their udon, the soup was delish. guess i remembered wrong. of all the sushi places in santa cruz, probably the best food but the service, omg, their service is sooooooo slow. every part of it took so incredibly long. even on a tuesday night, the service was so slow. really? and one time we changed tables twice and found that both tables were rocky and so settled for the less rocky table. the restaurant doesn't seem super clean, either. i don't go to Mobo unless i have 2+ hours to waste on dinner.
(2)
Kristina R.
I really like Mobo sushi - it is the first one in Santa Cruz I tried. What I like best is their unique selection of rolls - my favorite you can ONLY get here is the Guido. The atmosphere is also relaxed and the prices are pretty decent. I will say I also like Shogun, Pink Godzilla, and one out on Soquel ( I cannot remember the name)...but Mobo is always home base for sushi.
(4)
Heidi P.
This used to be my favorite sushi place. Then I had good fish. The rolls are amazing combinations. The flavors and creativity are wonderful. The last two times I went the fish tasted... fishy. I love the wonderful combination rolls. Macadamia nuts, garlic, basil, oranges, I love their use of different ingredients in the rolls. I just wish the fish was better.
(4)
Robert G.
I wasnt to impressed with this place, however the sushi is okay and the selection is alright, I think this place has been around so long that people just automatically think of it as the best...Its alright but nothing I would run home to tell my family about..
(3)
Matthew M.
This is definitely the best Japanese restaurant within the City of Santa Cruz. The menu is enormous and sure to satisfy even the most non-adventurous tastes. That, fortunately, would not be me; I greatly enjoyed their Ojos de Chupacabra that was one of the October specials (raw quail eggs over spicy tuna). Yes, that's exotic, and definitely not a roll one would find in Japan, but it's an extreme example of the chefs' creative ranges. I usually enjoy my personal favorite staples of Philly Roll, Beamer Roll, Rainbow Roll, and Maguro Sashimi. Their Bento Boxes are also a decent deal. The place is big, and the two best places to sit are in the room with the fish tanks, and the rear patio.
(5)
Ammy D.
Mobo is... trendy sushi. It's innovative rolls, it's not a place for a true sushi lover - the flavors of the fish are overpowered by the ingredients of the rolls - which is good, because the fish isn't that great. Don't get me wrong, I really like Mobo's for what it is - not a place for sushi, but a place for creative maki aside - Mobo's is very nice. They are the type of place you can take a non-sushi person, because they have other stuff, and a really nice, relaxing (near the back, not in thier big center dining area) ambiance. Good service as well.
(3)
Annie P.
Love coming here. They have great service and great food. I love getting the udon in the stone pot and a flying tiger roll. Its so much food and so filling. I usually go with a friend and we both order the same thing. We just love coming here. It pretty affordable and tasty. Their lunch combo is also great.
(4)
Lauren A.
Their sushi is the best so far, that I have ever tried. The staff are all very friendly and on Saturday nights, the owner gives free sake bombs to everyone. The only thing that I and my table didn't like, is it took over 2 hours to get our food :(
(3)
Kitt J.
Here's another vote for the snowball maki. Honestly, this roll has instilled in me a sense of disdain for every other sushi restaurant I've experienced thus far. Also, I spent two years in Santa Cruz and hated almost every second of it. But I miss Mobo. That is the only thing I really, truly miss about Santa Cruz with any sincere heartache. They have an epic selection of nigiri, sashimi, maki and vegetarian options as well as hot foods, tempura, and other such items. But as far as prices go, I can see how some people view the place as "overrated." Personally, I think it's the best sushi restaurant I have been to in the country, on either coast, in any state. I have yet to find better at any sort of reasonable price. Plus the miso soup is great. The only place that has better is the sushi restaurant on West Mission near Cafe Brasil.
(5)
Somala A.
First of all, they actually serve their edamame steaming hot! I prefer that over cold edamame, so they get a plus for that =) Next, the place was really packed because it was a holiday weekend, and it seemed like everyone in Santa Cruz had sushi on their mind. So we thought that it was going to take forever to get our order. The waitress took a while to get to us, but the food was out really quick! I was especially impressed with the speed of their service =) As for the rolls. We ordered the Special K, Corrupter, Snowball, philly roll, and tekka maki. All were very good! I would especially recommend the Special K. That was my favorite out of all of them.
(5)
Tiffany O.
i really do not like this place! i got a udon and it tasted like chicken broth with noodles and chicken. my boyfriend got chicken terriyaki and it was nothing extraordinary. it wasnt even great. how do you not perfect chicken terriyaki. overall... blah eww
(1)
Miss P.
i had the udon dish...they have one udon dish with "succulent beef" and one with just "beef"...i had the latter, because it included a tempura prawn. i thought i could sacrifice succulent beef for a tempura prawn. of course i didn't get the tempura prawn. and of course, i didn't figure this out until half-way through the meal. guess i was distracted by dinner conversation and such. anyway, they were nice enough to give me my tempura, plus an extra one because they felt bad about leaving it off. anyway, it was edible...not the greatest...and it left me wondering what the succulent beef would have tasted like, because i got the chewy beef version. they have some different type rolls. we got this "dessert" roll, that had avocado, macadamia nuts, and a mandarin orange slice (canned)...it was kinda weird. i'm not sure why they had wasabi on the plate, as it was a "dessert" roll...even though it wasn't on the dessert menu. so confusing. anyway, i commented on the fact that it was strange that they had wasabi on the plate, to which one of my dining partners answered that i didn't need to eat it...which wasn't really the point of my comment, but okaaaay. well, bottom-line, i'm not really a sushi fan, but i had been craving Japanese lately, and this spot really didn't do it for me. and my dad would completely flip over the lack of authenticity of this joint, but that's neither here nor there....
(3)
Mimi B.
Mobo is a great "everyday" sushi restaurant. The rolls are great, service is superb - food comes out lightning quick (usually) and the price is not bad. Large selection of unique rolls, both vegetarian and non. Also includes great appetizers, with the usual Japanese fare (sukiyaki, seaweed salad, green salad (the miso dressing is THE best), miso soup, tempura, etc) My favorite rolls include the Flying Tiger, Moon Cruzer, Smoke Slammin'.... mmm... I'm getting hungry! Parking may be a pain sometimes, depending on the time and day, however it's usually not a big deal as there is a large parking structure on the other side of Mobo. One of my favorite perks about Mobo is that they are always really cool about splitting the check and paying on multiple cards, so it's a great place to bring a group.
(4)
debbie h.
Mobo is fun and chill. Parking is easy since it's inside a shopping center. Order some sake bombs and maybe the overwhelming rice surrounding your rolls won't be so bad. The combination of flavors in their rolls, like macadamia nut and mango are interesting, but the mediocre fish quality and over riced nibbles kill the rolls. I've eaten here twice, and both time my group had plenty of leftovers...not good at sushi.
(3)
bridget h.
I have a pretty high standard for sushi since I frequent a lot of japanese restaurants in the city. This is the least authentic japanese restaurant I've ever seen. The wasabi was a manufactured-out-of-a-box cube of blob! Can you say eww? Some of the sushi rolls are offered with cashews, macadamia nut, and other weird ingredients. I mean, come on, what kind of authentic Japanese restaurants offers these?! But, I do have to applaud their wide range of sushi rolls. On to the sushi itself.. I ordered the unagi (i think Rock n Roll or something like that) and the shrimp tempera roll. Both were thinly sliced and over-priced for the number of slices. The unagi did not taste fresh and lacked the teriyaki flavor it usually has. The shrimp tempera did not even taste like tempera. The shrimp was barely fried and had no crisp to it. The restaurant was extremely noisy. I couldn't even hear what my friends were saying that were seated across from me. The seating was horrible also. We sat at a plastic Tupperware-esque table that seemed like little kids would play on. You'll have better luck at Masago. They are over-priced too, but at least the sushi tasted better.
(2)
Mailee H.
Meh. After moving to Santa Cruz I've been lazily on the hunt for a good sushi restaurant, and this one doesn't quite make the cut. It's location is a little odd; right next door to a Trader Joe's, but that's not a big deal, I just thought it was worth commenting on. My boyfriend and I went around 5:30pm, and the interior of the place was so dark! It's a typical "fancy restaurant" ambiance, except they had really cute orange streamers all over the place in celebration of Halloween. Nice hardwood floors, sort of strange floor plan, and it's a little cluttered. We ate outside. The outdoor seating was quite nice; there was a peaceful fountain and really calming greenery. It wasn't exceptional, but it was certainly pleasant. The women's bathroom has really odd bathroom stall doors... they're on the kitschy side. The waitresses had the same degree of kitsch: "Asiatic" tops and high hair buns. It didn't bother me, but I thought it was kind of funny! For the price, the food was just okay. I don't consider myself a sushi connoisseur, but I certainly won't eat just anything! We got a couple of bento box meals. The temperature of the sashimi was just right, and the fish itself was decent. Nothing to write home about, but definitely not terrible. The cuts were incorrect, but again that's not a huge deal. The tempura and chicken teriyaki were on the iffy side; some of the vegetables in the tempura were really oily or just too "meaty" and the teriyaki was mediocre, but teriyaki is a bit of a toughie. The nigiri was really poorly constructed, and the only reason I comment on this is because it was impossible to pick up without it falling apart! I've been using chopsticks my entire life so I thought my boyfriend was just bad at it, but when I wasn't able to it was a little odd. The salad dressing was terrible! It was sickly sweet. The pickles were quite good though. We got a lot of food, but it was still really expensive for what we got, in my opinion. The server was really loud! :P She was also really rushed, which was fine since we got out fast, but she seemed eager to be elsewhere. All things considered, I wouldn't recommend the place, but I wouldn't tell anyone to avoid it either. Personally I won't be making a return trip.
(3)
Sarah C.
My family, friends, and I are all frequent diners at Mobo Sushi! The sushi always taste very fresh, and it is always delicious. The staff is very accommodating, the our order always comes out quickly. Mobo Sushi has always been my go to sushi place in the area, and I cannot see that changing ANY time soon as long as I am in the Santa Cruz area! P.S. The owner does a sake bomb lineup on the weekends, and anyone who shows a valid ID gets a complimentary sake bomb (while sake/beer filled glasses last)! Need I say more? :P
(5)
Jessica H.
I used to love Mobo.....it was always fun and reasonably priced. However, the last time I went for lunch I was so disappointed. The prices had gone up, which I can understand. However, the quality dropped. Sometimes places have off days. But the one thing that will prevent me from returning is the rice. Sushi at it's heart is the delicate dance between rice and vinegar. The rice is what makes the sushi. This rice was totally underseasoned, I couldn't taste any vinegar whatsoever. It caused the maki to fall flat, and actually detracted from the nigiri. I can only hope that the particular sushi chef working that day was out of it, because Mobo really is a fun place.
(2)
J. G.
I always wonder why I keep going back. The decor is old and stale like the napkins they have had since the restaurant first opened. Plates ugly and abused. Walls sad and in need of a paint job, a nice dust coating on the awning over the bar. The grossest bathroom besides I Love Sushi. But now higher prices and less fish in the rolls? My spicy big mac had so little fish I almost sent it back. I have to tell myself to stop going here it just wastes my money. My reviews don't matter to the business and neither does my business. Sushi Blossom is so much higher quality. Worth the drive to Scotts Valley PS: Enjoyed being jolted out of my seat twice by a group behind us pounding their sake bombs on the table and hollering out. Totally made the experience :-(
(2)
Nicole L.
Mobo's continues to be a Santa Cruz staple. Good sushi, decent prices, and alcohol. What more could one ask for? I revisited this place from my past and had a mixed experience. It was dead on a midweek rainy day, and the hostess initially tried to sit us right next to another group of two- of ALL the other open places in the restaurant that's the one she chose? We asked to move. She complied and seemed a bit flustered about it. Eh, whatever. Waitress was good, but food order was off. I didn't get my tea until nearly the end of the meal, and both friends' rolls came out way before my sashimi. Sashimi was pretty good- hamachi. I still can't compare anybody to Kru, as we're spoiled here in Sac. If you like big rolls with lots of creative additions, and you like cocktails, Mobo's is great. Service is variable. I remember much more friendly folks from my earlier days, but everyone's entitled to an off day. Sashimi is good. Not knock-your-socks off great, but good. 3.5 stars if I could. Yes, I'd come here again if my friends really wanted to go, but I'd probably try another place for sushi in the area first.
(3)
John L.
To set the bar - I take people from Japan to this place. One of my favorite Sushi places in Santa Cruz. They break the mold on non traditional sushi roll combo's that st restaurants try to replicate. Sushi is very fresh and great cuts. They even have fresh fatty tuna if you call in advance. It can get busy. Be prepared with a beer or sake and an appetizer so you enjoy the wait. Note: Friday nights, they do a sake bomb waterfall which is pretty fun.
(4)
melanie m.
I've been going to Mobo Sushi for years and they are my favorite by far. I've eaten at many other places in Santa Cruz county but this place is still #1 for me. Great value, great service and high quality. Love everything. :)
(5)
dave m.
Our go-to sushi spot in Santa Cruz! Love this place!!! Eliminator, Maui Waui, Death Star, so many great rolls to choose from!!
(5)
Roy N.
Came here for lunch while visiting Santa Cruz to visit UCSC. Excellent meal and good atmosphere.
(4)
KT B.
Ugh!!! Horrible food poisoning at Mobo tonight....I've been dining there for 20 years ! never had this experience. We ordered a tiger shrimp special roll, after edamame, an appetizer pepper roll, and I was the only one who ordered and consumed Unagi. As we drove home, I knew I was going to be sick....10 minutes later, I threw up 4 times and had diarrhea. Not fun! I called the manager, Joon, who was not there, but spoke with Kevin,an assistant. I told him to get that Unagi off the menu. He said he would check it and for me to seek medical help. Now, an hour later, I feel better after several trips to the bathroom and lots of water. No more MOBO for me for a very long time!
(1)
Katie W.
Have been coming to Mobo for a long time now and it never disappoints! It has been our favorite sushi place for many years. It is not "traditional" sushi- although it can be. But they excel at blending flavors that you don't find at other sushi places, and that's why it remains one of the best.
(5)
Eunice L.
This is such a nice sushi place! I was a first-timer last weekend and I was not disappointed. The prices are reasonable, and the food was really good for the most part! The only complaint I'd have is probably the presentation of the food. It definitely could have been a little more appealing, but the taste was great so it balanced out. My friends and I really liked the flying tiger here, so I'd definitely recommend that one. The service was great too! Everyone was super friendly and the food came out really quickly for a sushi place. I'd definitely be up for coming here again!
(4)
Katherine A.
I love Mobo's! It's always my go-to spot with friends whenever we have guests in town! We were seated pretty fast and on a friday night, as well! Our waitress was extremely nice and knew exactly what we needed. They have a great selection of special rolls and are uniquely prepared! My favorite is the Salmon Bakr, also known as, the Lion King. It's HUGE! You're able to get a good taste of all the ingredients, especially the salmon. It's a little pricey but I think it is definitely worth it if you're really hungry! You can also call and pick up sushi!
(5)
Yvette A.
First Timer.. Good Service, no wait on being seated and on a Friday Night. The Sushi rolls and Chicken Teriyaki were delicious. Not the best sushi I've had but was good in flavor. The owner stopped everyone from eating and free saki bomb drinks for everyone on the house. Great atmosphere!! Will return..
(4)
Lisa H.
I came into Mobos for the first time today, and was definitely disappointed. The rolls here were decent, but the service was terrible. But the thing that really put me off is the salmon sashimi that I got. One of the pieces didn't have the skin completely cut off so there was a weird white leathery glue texture left on the outside. I couldn't stand the feeling against my tongue, and I couldn't believe they would serve that. Because of that I'll never come back.
(2)
Jim M.
Second time here. Great sushi and a fun selection. Liberal use of macadamia nuts and other creative ingredients, which I liked. Plenty of traditional favorites too if you are into that. I had the Death Star (Fully Operational) and some Tempura Bananas with coconut ice cream. Fast and friendly survive. I'll be back.
(4)
Jenner B.
This is a good "American" sushi place. It's big, great for groups, no surprise sushi menu, and they have a wide fun selection of drinks. The food taste ok, but the service is young , fast and the place is surfer casual. Call ahead and make reservations because the place is busy almost everyday.
(3)
H P.
The minus one star is because sometimes the seating isnt very desirable, and sometimes the waitresses arent soo great. But usually they are really nice and helpful. Mobos is a nice, fun, lively sushi place. Great for going out with friends, especially since its pretty much in downtown near all the clubs bars etc. The sushi has been good everytime and I always try something new. Ive had raw fish here too and never had a problem. They are a clean restaurant. Fish tank is really entertaining! I like the atmosphere a lot, its colorful and exciting. I cant bring myself to try a new sushi place because my boyfriend and I like this one so much :)
(4)
Betty L.
My husband and I decided to try it out. We recently just moved to CA from Japan so our standards are a bit high perhaps. It was of course a bit pricey as sushi always seems to be in the US. We had 4 rolls. The Nor-Cal was the most delicious, but also most expensive. So good though. We were fighting over the pieces. Eliminator was next best. Macadamia nuts and eel are awesome. Pink Caddy. Was mediocre. I got it because I love salmon. The hamachi in the roll was a bit meh. The last roll (I forget the name) that was on specialty menu. It was the spicy scallop with mandarin oranges roll. That one was the worst one and I do NOT recommend it at all. Wish I got something else because neither of us wanted to finish it. I love scallop but the spice (sriracha?) they use it overpowering and you cannot even taste the fish. I guess it is made spicy tuna style, when I expected spicy mayo style. The oranges were an interesting idea but it just turned into a confusing mess of spicy citrus in your mouth. The service was fine. Nothing extraordinary or terrible about it.
(3)
B B.
Pretty good sushi and very friendly service. We went to Santa Cruz for the weekend and searched for a good sushi place and chose Mobo. Not the best sushi and not the worst. Pretty average and the rolls are a bit lack luster. We liked everything we got and the fish was fresh. We had salmon sushi, Moon Cruiser, 10 piece seared tuna and another roll that I cannot remember. Saki bombs were fun and the staff was very friendly and willing to make anything custom. We would return if in the neighborhood.
(3)
Taryn O.
Friendly staff, excellent food. Lots to choose from! I highly recommend the Crop Burning vegetarian roll. Also the bento boxes are pricey but you get a LOT of food. Totally with every penny.
(5)
Sophie P.
Very good sushi, interesting rolls, really nice staff but a little pricey. Also, no lunch special on weekends. Would reccomend.
(4)
Bruno L.
Fun Sushi ! Quality ok. Creative combinations for the rolls. A plus is that you can build your own roll. It has a nice vibe. Friendly staff, and I could see that they enjoy being there. Attentive too. Sadly the cheap glasses don't do justice to the actual quality of cocktails.
(4)
Eddie S.
Mobo is good, but not great, but certainly a win as the prices are amongst the fairest in town. I've known a good number of people that really enjoy this place for the vegetarian sushi options. The vegetarian sushi is actually pretty decent, but personally I'm looking more for some quality fish in my rolls. In this regard, they're merely okay, as there's not too much a selection. Still, for what they do offer, it's usually fairly tasty. Another highlight is the sake bomb show and subsequent free sake bomb on Friday and Saturday nights. Be there at 8 PM for a round on the house!
(4)
Leah N.
This place legit rocked my world. I was in Santa Cruz this past weekend for my brother in laws graduation (Go Slugs!) and we went here post ceremony. I was majorly impressed with their roll selection - tons of unique rolls I've never seen or heard of before. Their vegetarian and vegan selection was the lengthiest I've ever seen. We started with a pickle appetizer that was amazing. I ordered the Vega Maki I think it was called and it was so good. Not traditional but amazing!
(5)
Brittany W.
Very disappointed! We went here for the lunch special thinking we would be in and out today. It took them 30 minutes to bring us the small lunch special so we told them to please box it up as we have to get back to work. She then came back with the wrong bill, which she already ran on my card and so we had to go through the voiding process making me VERY late. We will never be back. I Love Sushi will be our "go to" place. The service at I Love Sushi is a million times better than this place. Also our sushi was warm and we only work 10 minutes away and mushi, not firm. Not pleased at all! Bleck!
(1)
Chris K.
Very very disappointed this time. Inattentive service. Took forever. Not even crowded. Rang my bill up $10 over, in error. Tried to tell me it was taxes...until I added up my entrees on my own calculator.... Good grief. OMG-they just tired to charge me again....as they have me my order. Holy Cow...scary disorganized....in here.
(2)
Jess M.
Mobo is my favorite sushi place in Santa Cruz. The fish is always very fresh and flavorful, and I love the combination of flavors in their rolls. My favorites are the Beamer, The Surfing Asparagus, and the Death Star. The gyoza and tempura veggies are also very good - I love the dipping sauce that comes with the tempura! If you are vegetarian, they have a ton of vegetarian rolls. Many of my friends really love the Crop Burning. We always get our rolls with soy paper instead of seaweed . It is much less chewy/heavy and allows for greater enjoyment of the fish and flavors. It is an extra dollar or two to substitute, but well worth it. My husband and I always sit at the sushi bar, unless we are with others. The sushi chefs are great! We usually have excellent service at the sushi bar, but when sitting at tables service can sometimes be slow. One thing that I love about Mobo is that your water glass is always refilled as it gets low, quickly and without having to ask. I try to drink a lot of water, so I really dislike restaurants where you can sit almost your entire meal with an empty water glass and no one to even ask to refill it. Given that we usually get sake to drink and enjoy with our food, lots of water is a must! The only thing that keeps me from giving 5 stars is that we have ordered takeout a number of times, and the takeout food can be hit or miss. Sometimes there is much less fish in the rolls than any time we have eaten there.
(4)
Gretchen R.
Extremely over priced. Lunch bento box with teriyaki salmon $26. wtf! I didn't notice the price until I got the bill. I ordered sashimi and got nigiri instead. On top of that there was loud tom petty music playing. I hate tom petty and that's all that was playing. pure torture!! And the sushi was nothing special at all.
(1)
Bill E.
Located in the heart of Santa Cruz, just off the main street, and adjacent to Trader Joe's. Very nice place to meet friends, enjoy a meal on the patio, and savor the variety of Japanese flavors in their daily lunch bento boxes. More food than you will actually need and all at a price which won't break the bank.
(4)
Nicole H.
LOVE this place! When we used to live in Santa Cruz, we ate here all the time. We even have a regular order-Corrupter (THE BEST), Krazy Kat (with dry spice instead of the spicy mayo stuff) and Presto Maki. We never had a bad experience here-food always fresh, quick and consistently amazing. Mobo is what I miss most about moving over the hill.
(5)
Jackee K.
Free sake bombs. (Not every night, but hey..) That is all.
(5)
Scott S.
A new coworker recommended Mobo to me, saying the lunch special was "a ton of food". She was right. For $8.50, you get a the usual soup, and a choice of vegetable tempura, chicken or beef terriyaki, California rolls or veggie equivalent, rice and salad The service is fast and the portions large. I'd come back just for the lunch special. I'm also looking forward to trying out the sushi.
(3)
Bridget C.
I've been a vegetarian my whole life, and normally when I go to Japanese restaurants, the vegetarian options are seriously limited (cucumber rolls). Mobo has amazing vegetarian options (Miami Roll, Guido Roll) that I keep coming back for. They also have vegetarian miso, which quite often isn't an option at other restaurants. Not only that, but the staff is really friendly. Many of them recognize me and ask me how my parents are, since I've been eating here for the past six years. In conclusion, everything is fresh and delicious, the people are nice, and I eat here whenever I'm in Santa Cruz.
(5)
Amy Y.
Any sushi place can trick you with creative rolls, beautiful colors, add some fatty crunchy factors on it, drench it in fat laden mayo based sauce= it's hard to tell what kind of flavor your fish had, but pretty much nothing can taste bad after this kind of treatment. So for the truth test, i went for the chirashi. Which is nothing but a spread of raw seafood (mine came with octopus along with assorted fish) over sushi rice. Mobo's Chirashi surprised me on how good it was! What really blew me away was the mackerel (saba) tasted fresh and sweet- not a hint of fishiness. Would love to come back!
(4)
Denise A.
I Love this place! Every time my BF and I are in Santa Cruz we come to Mobo Sushi. From all of the sushi restaurants we have been to this is the most vegetarian friendly. Offering a wide selection of vegetarian options Mobo never fails to tantalize the taste buds. This time around we happened to have a craving for Mobo on a Friday night around 8-9pm. When we arrived there was about a 10 minute wait. We were seated in the outdoor patio area that is nicely heated and surprisingly warm. Upon entering we saw the owner busy by the bar area setting up a great deal of glasses, we thought nothing of it and sat down to relax and order our dinner. The ambiance and decor is nothing to write home about, but the vegetarian selection definitely makes up for it. After being seated it was quite awhile before we saw a server so we ordered a lot of food since we were hungry and did not want to risk waiting forever again LOL. (Keep in mind this place was PACKED to the brim so it's not like we were waiting just because they were slow.) About 20 minutes into us being there after the waitress came out and told us about a giant sake bomb and free sake bombs...um okay, we're in! So we finally figured out the glasses that the owner was setting up were for the giant sake bomb. Everyone gathered around and he announced the rules and had us all count down..5...4...3...2..1... SAKE BOMB! Then he let the first shot glass go and around they went like a chain of dominos. Next thing you know the bar is surrounded by a sea of thirsty, bargain hunting partons. This place is always a good time. Delicious, fresh, inexpensive sushi and free Sake Bombs! SOLD!!!
(4)
Helen M.
Good sushi! Good variety! Also they do this really cool domino sake bomb! You have to see it! Service can be kind of slow and food is kind of overpriced, but good for group dinners!
(3)
Millsy M.
Mobo Sushi has held a spot in my heart since my undergrad days at UCSC. Once upon it was "The Place", amazing service, outstanding quality fish and a great vibe. Sorry to report it is no longer so. After a long anticipated wait we made our way there for dinner last night. What a come-down. Our service was great, but the food really lacked any refinement or polish. The portions, while huge, are bland. We ordered "Tuna my heart" expecting toro tuna over rice that stood alone. What we were served was a huge stack of rice with too much too much mounded cafeteria style with really tough fishy over done tuna on top. * sigh* Maybe we've grown up, moved to a big city with a higher grade of Japanese cuisine, maybe Mobo has slipped, or maybe the smoke and haze of being UCSC students has cleared and I can see what this place is.
(3)
Joy M.
My friends took me here for dinner before. I wasn't too impressed with anything. They had some interesting unique rolls that caught my attention but when the food arrived the rolls were messy, very small (the size of probably a quarter in diameter), and the rice was not fresh. The fish had a very old taste to them and the service was very poor. The waitress seemed to really dislike her job. The location was not that great either. Everyone says this place is the best in SC but I really disagree. But I guess if you want to pay college prices, then sure.
(2)
Kailey O.
get the bento box for lunch. its 8.95 and can feed you for two meals. it comes with miso soup to start, pickled cucumbers?? (does that just mean pickles?), choice of beef, chicken, or veggie terriyaki (i got chicken), house salad, 5 sushi pieces (i got the california roll) broccoli and carrots, and a glob of rice. WHEW that was a mouthful. ;) we sat outside for lunch, but since there were hardly anyone in the restaurant, i think our waitress forgot about us a couple of times. we ended up having to walk inside to pay our bill.. no biggie. i love going to dinner here, but you can't beat these lunch prices!
(4)
Jen O.
Though not as highly ranked as I Love Sushi, I'm siding with Mobo Sushi since its much more reasonably priced. I know you get free appetizers at the other place, but its not worth the significantly higher prices per roll, IMHO. We started off with the Starstruck and Spicy Scallop Burner rolls. True to its word the latter indeed had a burn to it. We wanted to order seconds, but with a little less kick. We asked for the Pink Caddy roll without the spicy sauce, but our server told us that we couldn't order it sans the sauce. She assured us that it really wasn't that spicy, so we decided to give it a shot, which ended up being a good call since she wasn't lyin'.
(3)
Sparkle Rachel B.
Wonderful original rolls and great quality fish. The service is friendly and the vibe is cool. I would definitely recommend the Spicy Big Mac.
(4)
Andrea M.
I went in twice to give it another shot because I thought maybe I was off. I have eaten in some of the most awesome places so I think I might just be a bit jaded when it comes to Sushi. I like Akira in Seabright-they are more my speed but I want something downtown I can walk to. I will have to keep looking as this place is BORING. An order of Nigiri Unagi (which was totally cold, not warmed at all) is $6.95. Just seems high to me and the quality is just alright. Rolls are just OK, not blown away, seems pricey for what you get. Value and quality are what I look for and if both are missing, it's not likely to be a win. Also totally turned off by the Sushi guy behind the bar who was hitting on a server very blatantly in the midst of service across the sushi bar. Gross, I don't need to hear and see that during my boring sushi lunch. I guess at least it added some drama since the cheap plastic plateware was clearly missing drama of any level. Oh, and the gross sticky soy sauce bottle I had to pick up with the same hands I was eating with just dropped a star off the rating. Sorry Mobo, it's a 'no go.'
(2)
Deanna A.
This is one of my favorite sushi places. I have lunch here several times a month and am usually seated and served in no time. The price is moderate, but I don't mind as I am hesitant to eat cheap, raw fish. The wait-staff are friendly and the sushi chefs are awesome! I have gotten many of my coworkers hooked on this place!
(5)
Rosa J.
Not a big fan of Mobo. I have been there a couple times because all my friends say it's really good, but every time I go I walk away unsatisfied and still pretty hungry. I've heard you have to know what to get, but their specialties must be few and far between. It's also pretty pricy for how much (or rather, how little) food you get.
(2)
Chava Libbe S.
Is it me, or has this place gotten better recently, or have other places just gotten worse? Whatever - great experience this last time out. One of the few places in Santa Cruz that isn't doing the bait-and-switch on hamachi - they served me the real thing and it was fresh and delicious. Yum yummers tempura, friendly service. Maybe the key here is to go on a Sunday when it's not crowded. I'm still no fan of bagged tea or of their prices, but I'm going to be giving Mobo another chance in the near future.
(3)
Rebecca M.
The vegetarian menu is the best I've ever seen. And the rolls are decently priced, so I always try two. The Miami roll and Crop Burning are two of my favorites, although the simpler ones are just as satisfying.
(5)
Amy C.
Not what I expected from a sushi restaurant. Food was poorly executed and tasted bland. I couldn't tell the differences in the flavor and taste of each specific roll as they all taste the same. ***Recommended: N/A **Highlights: N/A *Low points: poorly made sushi overall
(1)
Stephen D.
Combination Chinese/Japanese cuisine? Deep fry any roll for $1? Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... It's like if Burger King made sushi.
(2)
Roxy D.
We first found this place because we wanted dinner delivered, and Yelp said this place delivers. But they DON'T! So lazy, hungry people be advised: you have to actually go to the restaurant to get your food. I really liked the food. As a vegan, I especially appreciated the fact that there was a whole vegetarian section of the menu, with vegan items clearly marked. They were pretty creative too! I'm used to being relegated to eating the boring old avocado/cucumber/carrot rolls, but this place has a lot more variety: cashews, macadamia nuts, broccoli, mushrooms, and a whole bunch of Japanese vegetables that were tasty even though I have no idea what they are. My boyfriend had the teriyaki chicken, though, and described it as meh. Our housemate said they were friendly and nice when she went to pick up our food, and offered her water while she waited. So that's nice. I'd definitely eat there or order takeout from them again.
(4)
Kirra P.
good sushi, but great specialty rolls. If you are there at the right time on Friday you will get to see the sake bombs on the bar top, not to be missed.
(4)
Chris V.
Decent sushi, but GREAT atmosphere. They really take care of their customers. I imagine they know just how competitive their business can be: there's several other sushi restaurants within easy walking distance. I imagine that's what inspires them to go the extra mile. But I go here over the others because its got great ambiance, decent food, and won't break the bank on a date or out with friends for a nice meal.
(4)
Felix C.
Its cheap. And with that said, you get your money's worth; the sushi is good, but its not gonna melt in your mouth. I recommend the Nor Cal, which is essentially a California roll topped with fried shrimp and fried...crumbs? I don't know what the proper Japanese term for those "fried crumbs" are, but they're B-O-M-B. The service here could be better. I've been here twice and the first time my table was paired with a super friendly and attentive waitress. The second time around I got a lady who simply took our order and gave us water. I guess third time's gonna be the charm, so if their service is better I'll bump them up a star. But for now, they get "san" stars.
(3)
Melissa C.
I love this place! The only sushi place I will every go to in Santa Cruz! They have a yummy miso dressing that they put over their salads. Their beef teriyaki is the best I have ever had. The meat is so tender with the perfect amount of sauce. Their rolls taste soooo goooood!
(5)
Marc C.
Consistently good sushi! Great variety and innovative rolls... My favorite sushi joint in Santa Cruz! Definitely try the Spicy Big Mac and the Death Star rolls!
(4)
Kim T.
My favorite place for sushi. Well, sissy sushi, as I like to call it (veggie rolls mainly). An especially fun spot on Fri or Sat night as you will get to gather 'round for the sake bomb domino-trust me you want to be there for that around 830pm (and you'll enjoy the free sake bomb!)! Fun atmosphere, you may have to wait a bit on the weekends, but well worth it. Great service as well and it's always nice to have the owner check in to see how your meal was. Order the veggie tempura or gyoza to start!
(5)
Charizard B.
This would be 4 and a half stars if I were allowed. . . the only reason I detracted anything is the lack of affordable non-seafood options. They were all very expensive. BUT I ended up ordering the "Popcorn chicken" with a ginger sauce (separate). It was awesome!!! It was breaded in panko crumbs, and even though it was on the kids menu, there was plenty of it. And I definitely recommend ordering the ginger sauce with it- it's usually served with a salmon dish but you can ask for it with other stuff. My friends all enjoyed their stuff- some of the got sushi, one got vegetarian sushi, and another got a soup. They were pretty busy but our waitress was GREAT- my friend had his dog in town and we wanted to sit outside so the dog could sit with us, and the waitress was very cool about it.
(4)
Cynthia B.
Holy geez... Super fresh fish and a great array of actual sushi (raw fish.) they serve a lot of rolls with macadamia nuts instead of tempera. I prefer the healthy alternative and the extra crunch, it's a nice touch. Great atmosphere and surprising from the strip mall exterior. I have gone herein a date and with friends, it seems to be great for any occasion. If you are looking for sake bombs and karaoke you should go to I Love Sushi instead.
(5)
Ly D.
I used to go here with my boyfriend every so often and loved it! I always ordered the pink caddy (unagi, hamachi, sake, ebi and spicy sauce) and the rock n' roll (unagi and avocado). He always had the hamachi kama (broiled yellowtail collar with savory sauce and rice). Although we've been to MANY sushi places, I think he still prefers the hamachi kama here. We always leave satisfied after a meal here!
(4)
Joshua K.
I prefer their specialty rolls over the regular menu items, and their prices are a little on the high side. However, the quality of the fish is superb. Consider trying the Death Star for something that's a little on the different side. Very friendly atmosphere.
(3)
Kimberly A.
I came here with some of my friends, and personally I'm not at all a sushi lover, and I hate seafood. I decided to give the sushi another try, and ended up getting a vegetarian roll, and I've got to say, it was delicious! Our waitress wasn't very friendly at all, in fact we took awhile to order (what do you expect we are girls, talking our faces off) and she acted like it was a inconvenience to her. All in all, I do want to try it again, and maybe hope for a happier server next time!
(3)
Jocelyn R.
A lot of people I know say they love this place and it's really good. But the experience I had there has kept me from ever going back. I got some kind of "tropical" roll, which was basically madarin oranges and rice (pretty bland) My mom got some unagi and some kind of fish. As I was chewing the fish i felt slivers of bone and pulled about 5 out of my mouth. When I thought it was safe to swallow, I felt one of the sharp bones stab into my throat. The waitress wouldn't even take it off the bill, until I had gone to the hospital (Dominican) and brought back the Doctors note/bill. The Doctor wasn't even able to get it out and I had to live with it stuck in there (still stabbing) for a bout 2 weeks until it finally went away on it's own. :(
(2)
Ryan G.
In my opinion the Best but also Most Expensive sushi place in Santa Cruz. They offer a wide selection of creative well-done rolls I've been to Japan for a study abroad and vacation and I judge a sushi place heavily on their nigiri sushi (my favorite) If you like nigiri sushi as much as I do then this is the place to go as long as you are willing to shell out the cash. Largest, best cuts of fish on the nigiri sushi but almost $2 more per order of nigiri sushi than any other place in Santa Cruz
(5)
Brittany N.
Barring a horrible experience with the manager... the food here is fabulous!! The Special K roll is among my favorites, but there are so many great rolls it's hard to choose. Also, the tuna steak with peanut sauce is a really great option if you're not in the mood for sushi. I like the lay out and atmosphere of this sushi place...it's bigger than most and it has a nice little outdoor area on the quieter side of the building. Parking can be a disaster as it's in the same parking lot as Trader Joe's, Woodstocks, Long's and more. But if you can find a spot, it's a great place to eat and you're right near the movie theater so catch a flick after you eat or walk across the street and take a stroll in the park :]
(4)
Denise C.
I've been here twice now, and I guess now I have a good grasp on how it is here. When you walk in, it's kind of dim. While in the evening, this might be a good thing for ambiance, in the daytime it makes the place kind of dingy looking. Most recently I came here with a group of 5, and we got seated at a larger table. This table turned out to be a...beer pong table? It was one of those plastic, fold-up tables that are so often used for beer pong. It was weird because all of the smaller tables were normal, wooden tables. Did they just not have money to invest in a table for larger groups? Service was kind of slow both times. The first time I gave them the benefit of the doubt because it was a busy Friday/Saturday night. However, it was nearly empty when I came here the past weekend. Food took about 15 minutes to get out to us, and there was like 1 other party there. Food-wise, this isn't my favorite type of sushi. I like more traditional-style sushi, but this place is more fusion, with more creative groupings of ingredients. Great for novelty, but doesn't really satisfy my palette for sushi. However, I enjoy the novelty of these rolls every once in a while, and I can't say that the rolls are bad. I especially liked the pink caddy roll, but the other rolls left me wanting more. The Norcal and macademia ones were interesting as well. Far as I've heard, this is one of the better places in SC to get sushi. I'll probably end up coming here again if I visit again.
(2)
Sarah T.
Best sushi & excellent customer service! Thank you so much for consistent service & food!
(5)
Mark F.
This is my favorite sushi spot in Santa Cruz! Its a pretty large space that can get busy but you never have to wait long if at all for a table. Iv'e tried just about everything they have to offer over the years and they are all top quality. They usually have at least 4 sushi chefs working so you don't have to wait. When your here, definitely try the "deviations" they are sushi creations that are as beautiful as they are delicious! Some of my favorites; Deviations... Tsunami (2 per order), its a piece of smoked salmon that is cut like a pocket, stuffed with rice, then sprinkled with macadamia nuts, and topped with a slab of avocado and unagi (eel), and finally drizzled with some sweet unagi sauce. This is a must try and my favorite item here. Kat in the hat (2 per order), this is a cute roll that looks like a Kat! (thats how they spell it). Its Bonito Tuna cut to form a tail and a pocket that they stuff with rice, its then covered with a thin slice of a giant scallop and topped with a little roll of smoked salmon (the hat) and some tobiko (fish roe). Starters... Gyoza, this is the only place I know of that gives you a choice of filling for your gyoza (pot stickers), you can choose from chicken, pork, beef, or veggie. My personal favorite is the beef as it unique. Served with a slightly sweet soy dipping sauce, very good! Green lip mussels, these are mussels (4 of them) cut into 3 pieces and put back into a half shell, they are then seasoned with a chilli powder and baked. Served with the same slightly sweet soy sauce as the gyoza these are very tasty! House salad, this salad is very big and has a tasty miso dressing that is lighter than most places because they don't use mayo in it. A good deal and big enough for 2 to split. Entrees... I usually just eat sushi and starters here and come out feeling content but if you are the bento box type then I recommend the tempura. Also the soup nabeyaki udon is a tasty comfort food meal for those cold days. I'll always come back here!
(5)
Sara E.
Love this place! They have so many vegetarian/vegan options they have great apps and salad starters. Would definitely recommend. Love getting my roll tempuraed!! The veggie dragon roll is so creative and cute!
(4)
Amy S.
Very clean inside and quick service. I ordered the NorCal roll and the stuffed jalepeno. The jalepeno were a really good balance of hot and flavor. The norcal roll is a Cali roll with fried mini shrimp on top. I really enjoyed the cali roll and the friend shrimp, but there was a lot of just fried bits that I could have done without. I also tried the pineapple express roll which was delicious and had total food envy for the Spicy Dragon roll that someone else got. The price was very reasonable for the quality of the food. I wish they had more combo box option available so that I could have had a variety of rolls.
(4)
Jenny S.
I've been here a few times but haven't been in a while so my mother and I came to have lunch unfortunately the waitress seems to have an attitude and is extremely rude the prices went up as well not sure if I'll be back
(1)
Nicole D.
Great sushi awaits at Mobo Sushi. Mobo's indoor-outdoor space includes several sun-bright seating areas, a large sushi bar, cocktail bar and a roomy heated patio. We enjoyed the wonderful variety of sushi selections and the many great vegetarian options. I stuck with my usual go-to nigiri plate. The nigiri plate comes with 6 chef's nigiri selections and a 6-piece tuna roll ($17). This plate is a tasty and wholesome option for a power-lunch or power-dinner. The fish is really fresh and fortifying. The sushi standout was the Death Star roll which has a beautiful amalgam of flavors and textures. This roll comes packed with tuna, fresh basil, garlic, avocado, cream cheese and macadamia nuts. Feast like sushi royalty at Mobo's. Enjoy high quality sushi and Japanese cuisine with fiscal-friendly pricing. Catch the sake bomb show and the free-flowing libations on Friday and Saturday evenings. Hmmmm, may need to re-visit soon :-)
(4)
Aron H.
Tried the Banana Slug roll today and that is such a great roll! The presentation of the roll is amazing and it includes so much sashimi that you will be glad your ordered it. Definitely a roll for two or more people.
(5)
Noe A.
This place is awesome! Great food, great sushi and Friday and Saturday nights you get free sake bombs at 9pm.
(5)
Philippe K.
Mobo is one of the only Sushi places in santa Cruz that regularly has Uni (sea urchin). Usually local as from Bodega Bay for example. The Fish is good quality, hours are late and it's a lively night spot.
(4)
Juanita M.
Once again Mobo turns out the best rolls in town. Great sushi. Wide assortment of hot and cold and a child friendly place as well. Crowded on a Saturday evening is to be expected. This is our go to for an evening out. And our server was very attentive, even with a full house. Not many places in Santa Cruz earn my stars.
(5)
Nena P.
Had the worst service and when I went to complain to the manager with the blue hair he acted like I was bothering him and made no effort to even apologize his excuse for our horrible service was they were under the gun....
(1)
Sabrina O.
I love mobo. I've been three times now. The last two times, I ordered the Special K roll- eel, lime, cream cheese and cashews. So good! I like Japanese dishes and am not super adventerous with sushi, so I got the Hamachi Kama broiled yellow tail over rice and then last time the Tombo Tuna with peanut sauce. Both delicious!
(5)
Jennifer N.
I've been going to Mobo since it was truly just a sushi bar. One bar. Nothing else. Before they knocked the first wall down and way before they took over the comic book store space. (Did you all even know that there used to be a comic book store over there?). It has definitely had its challenges, but one thing that it does do right is get wildly creative with their sushi rolls. My Japanese friends often scoff at Mobo, but honestly, if you're in the mood for some adventurous sushi, this place will provide it. I also absolutely love that there are so many truly vegetarian options on the menu. And that you can request soy paper instead of nori for your rolls. And that you can get any roll on the menu tempura'd. All of that allows for some serious mouth-watering adventure! Plus they often have specials that just make parties in your mouth. I used to have a standing "invite" for all my friends to join me every Friday evening for dinner at Mobo's. While there are certain nights where the fish doesn't taste quite as fresh as you think it should and your wait person seems to all but disappear, still Mobo's does the job when it is adventurous sushi you want in downtown Santa Cruz.
(3)
Silvie D.
this is one of my favorite restaurants in santa cruz. born and raised here so ive tried them all. the best things to get are the Tori Udon (around 8$, and you wont finish it) and a pickle plate appetizer. Cheap as far as japanese goes. if you like traditional japanese you may not like this place-- they get a little too creative with things like macadamian nut sushi and stuff. but you cant go wrong with the Tori Udon-- grilled chicken, delicious broth, veggies... amazing!
(4)
Gina L.
Service was fine. But fish not fresh. Interesting vegi rolls. What is up with sitting at the sushi bar & ordering from a waiter/waitress?
(3)
Emily C.
I don't think anyone would argue that a place with this many awesome vegan/vegetarian rolls would qualify as "authentic," so I'm not sure what the point of bitching about that is. The food is good. The end. Either you like what they serve you, regardless of your predilections for tradition, or you don't. And I do! Macadamia nuts are fucking killer additions to veggie rolls.
(4)
Mike B.
Mobu is da bomb! Little on the pricey side, but pure quality. Usually busy, so if going out with more than 1 or 2 people, call ahead. On warmish evenings, the back patio is the place to be seated, otherwise try and get a spot on the bar. Pretty large selection. Japanese chefs = authentic Sushi.
(4)
S. C.
I feel like I love this place half the time and get really annoyed the other half of the time. I tend to love it on days when I'm having lunch by myself at the counter with a good book, and like it less on days when it's packed, noisy, and the service is a little lackluster. Today's sushi lunch special was FABULOUS, and the hamachi was amazing. Sidenote: I also love the Guido roll (basil, garlic, cream cheese, macadamia nuts). Word on the street is that they have free sake bombs on certain nights... :)
(3)
Gregor M.
Admittedly I was only in the restaurant for about 15 minutes, but enjoyed my brief stay. Ordered up a few Sake Nigiri as my friends were finishing there colorful array of tabled treats, and was pleasantly surprised by the hefty cut and flavorful presentation. When back in SC, I plan to take the rest of the menu for a spin.
(4)
Ryan H.
Sorry, Mobo. The sushi's not bad, but this place is exactly the kind I don't like: huge and impersonal, not much attention and service, an ethnic restaurant full of only white people. If it were a bargain, it might be different, but I'll take my sushi at August Moon, thanks.
(2)
Valerie S.
mmm mobo! inventive, high quality sushi and good service. they have an impressive selection of veggie sushi options and the regular menu items are very good too.
(4)
Susanna K.
People claim that this place is good so I keep giving it another shot. Bottom line, not good. Some of their more popular rolls are pre-made.....you can tell because the rice is cold and hard! Totally unacceptable. I know they have a large selection of vegetarian rolls and thats why alot of people go there but please, for those maguro and hamachi eating folks, don't waste your time.
(2)
Sari W.
mobo is the reason this vegetarian loves sushi. they have an entire list of vegetarian sushi that i can't get enough of. i've been chasing this sushi dragon ever since i was first introduced. without fail, i've ordered and enjoyed the guido and tuesday maki rolls on every visit. upon first bite, the guido falls apart in your mouth, revealing the most amazing flavors of avocado, cream cheese, basil, and macadamia, with creamy and cruncy textures. my husband ordered the beef terriyaki, and was surprised by the abundance of beef, so much so that he couldn't finish it all (that never happens!).
(5)
Scott H.
We totally love Mobo's! This is our (Simon's!) favorite place to eat. We go hear for any special occasion. A great sushi place which is always packed (reservations recommended on weekends), nice ambiance (huge fish tank in back room, tables close together, nice little out back patio). The menu is simply awesome, especially for us. Plenty of 'california style sushi' for the vegans and vegetarian's in our family, but excellent fresh fish for the rest. My favorites: The Guido Maki (cashew, cream cheese, basil and tons of garlic), Ikura Madness (hamachi, ikura, quail egg), Uni (when they have it - it melts in the mouth). The veg's like Miami Roll and Tuesday Maki. Serving sizes are generous, and the price is very reasonable for a sushi place of this caliber. We are always stuffed and 4 of us get out for around $70 incl tip. I got a bento box once and it was a LOT of food. Service is friendly and excellent (except they ALWAYS manage to forget Simon's inari - it's a running joke). The owner seems to know us by now and gives us a smile and a kind word when we leave. Every time I go I order one new thing I haven't tried yet. Almost always pleasantly surprised, with very few exceptions. It's not run by native Japanese, and it's not "pure Sushi", but who cares? VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
(5)
lauren f.
loved the extensive veggie roll list!!! tempura was delish as well.
(4)
Hari Y.
They have the best selection of vegetarian (fish-free) sushi I've ever seen. The Guido is especially delicious and the most highly recommended vegetarian roll - a rich combination of flavors, including basil, garlic, macadamia nuts, and cream cheese. Great decor and service. Love this place!
(5)
Teddy D.
I can't help but like a place that gives you surprise sake bombs and gigantic sushi rolls at reasonable prices. Absolutely great service.
(4)
Kat M.
Great for vegetarians. Always friendly and pretty fast service. Owner is super nice. Lot's of options. Pretty fresh fish. Decent prices.
(4)
Rosie H.
Your standard good sushi.
(4)
katrinka k.
This is by far, my favorite sushi place! 'nuff said.
(4)
Jennifer R.
Mobo has a variety of interesting sushi rolls. One of my favorites is the snoball maki, which has snowcrab, mandarain orange, coconut, and cashews. They also have lots of rolls with macadamia nuts; for those of you who've never tried sushi rolls with macadamia nuts you're missing out. The smoke slammin is also good with fresh salmon (either raw or smoked, i prefer raw) and cilantro. Personally, I'd stay away from the rolls that include garlic- i tried one of my friend's last night and it just didn't mesh well with the flavors of the raw fish. This place usually gets packed on friday and saturday nights after 6pm so I recommend going on a weeknight or ordering take-out (my favorite option). Oh and for those of you who've read my Iroha sushi review, yes I tried the spicy tuna roll here and no, it did not satisfy. Their other rolls are great but as with everywhere else but Iroha I was disappointed by their spicy tuna.
(4)
Riri L.
After hearing such glowing comments about this restaurant, I was really disappointed with my meal. Decor, atmosphere, and service were all fine, but it was the food that ultimately blew it for me. I ordered the Nabeyaki Udon, a hamachi nigiri, sake nigiri, and a Landshark roll. The Nabeyaki udon was fine, although I found it a little weird that they used beef instead of chicken, and that the shitake mushrooms were pickled. But I won't knock them for being a little different. It was the sushi that had me completely appalled. They appeared to have flash boiled the fillet of salmon that they used for the sake nigiri. The center was raw, but you could see a thin skin of pink around the edges of the cuts of fish. The result? -- A rubbery piece of fish, which was tough and chewy around the cooked edges. Along with ruining the texture, the cooking process destroyed the fatty marbling, taking away the richness of fish. My friend was surprised by what I was served. She had eaten the sake at Mobo's before, and never received it in that condition. As for the Landshark roll, the lemon and shizo leaf completely overpowered the main ingredients - unagi and grilled hamachi. I ended up with a mouthful of lemony, dish soap tasting sushi. Using actual pieces of lemon, as opposed to juice, and too much shizo, really ruined the roll. On a textural note, the shizo leaf was whole, making it difficult to chew through, and the macadamia nut, whose flavor you couldn't taste, felt like odd chunks of something that didn't belong in the roll. At least the hamachi was fine ... Overall, I think the non-sushi items on the menu were decent, but when it comes to anything that's somewhat innovative, watch out! You'll be unpleasantly surprised. Mobo isn't a traditional Japanese restaurant. Which is fine. The idea of a restaurant being more cutting edge and using a variety of interesting ingredients is great. However, the eclectic recipes at Mobo need to reviewed and revised. Although a charming idea, the nuts add a disturbing texture to the sushi rolls and do not meld well with the other ingredients. It also seems as if someone creative came up with the ingredients for the rolls, but never bothered tasting their own creations. There was no blending of flavors, just certain, unappetizing ingredients, standing out. I think the managers should start doing random taste tests. I'd be mortified if they thought the sushi served to me was acceptable.
(2)
Kevin D.
Best vegetarian sushi in Santa Cruz, possibly the bay area. Crop burning, miami roll, etc.
(5)
hoolio n.
over rated but never disappointing. delicious food but busy place. Their menu is a bit hard to decipher. Their fancy creations are impossible to eat - need to deconstruct to get the parts into your mouth. Order the corruptor for your non-sushi fan friends. Smoke eel, basil and cashews - or is it macadamia nuts? Maybe some cream cheese too.
(4)
Leslie H.
The sushi is great, but what's up with the hostesses and servers? Recently, a friend and I went to Mobo. We had reservations, the restaurant was all but empty (at 7:30 on a Saturday), and we got seated at what seemed like the kids' table: a tiny table tucked behind a corner. When we asked for a different table, we were shown to another just as bad. In disgust, the hostess gestured to another, somewhat less objectionable. Why? Quite frankly, I'm mystified. That having been said, the sushi was terrific--although I think Pink Godzilla is just as good, and there's no wrangling over the tables--you're just lucky to get one.
(2)
Miranda M.
I don't understand why people bother going here....I only go to MoBo when I'm craving sushi on a Sunday when everything good is closed. For starters, if you are a real sushi connoisseur you will notice immediately that the rice is not prepared correctly here, it is too hard for sushi rolls and they lay it on thick making each bite of sushi mostly taste like rice. Also most of the rolls taste the same because they use the same "special sauce" on almost all the rolls. I ONLY recommend this place for vegetarians because they have an extensive variety of rolls without fish. I used to come here as a vegetarian, when I made the switch and tried this place I realized that was all it was good for! The sashimi and nigiri is not very great quality, I've been spoiled by Miyako. Though if you are vegetarian or you find yourself here try the guido roll it is unique and tasty!
(2)
Sarah M.
This is like *the* place to go if you're a vegetarian and you want some sushi. I'm not but my dad is and they have like a zillion different options. And how effing cool is it that you can build your own roll??? Way cool. I've never actually done it before because I always get caught up in the creativity of their rolls. And not creative in a tempura everything with cream cheese and mucho mayo based sauce kind of way that you get over the hill. They like to spice up their rolls with mandarin oranges, basil, garlic, coconut, macadamia nuts, etc. Actually the basil garlic combo is a little weird - kind of like you're eating pizza sushi. But I appreciate the thought. And the fish is fresh and tasty. This is my go to place when over the hill but it absolutely KILLS me that they aren't open for lunch on the weekends. So, so very depressing. Oh also I've been here with my two under four year old nephews and they were totally understanding about having a couple of rambunctious kids running around outside. Yes, we sat on the patio in the back. I mean come on, we're not going to disrupt the whole restaurant. I hate when people do that.
(4)
Dominic P.
Mobo is a great place for sushi. That said, if you're going here, you need to know that they are more of a "fusion" type of place. They try new things with their rolls, and it normally tastes great. I go here with my parents all the time when they visit from out of town. Great for vegetarians. Friday and Saturday at around 8-8:30PM the owner sets up a domino style system for making sake bombs and everyone gets one free. Good atmosphere, highly recommend.
(4)
Jen N.
Great menu, for sushi and other traditional Japanese dishes. Inventive maki rolls that are never boring. Crop Burning is a great veggie roll and the Maui Wowie it also good. You can make your own roll too. One of the best sushi places in Santa Cruz. Nice atmosphere and service. Parking can be tough on the weekends. Reservations needed on the weekend too. Nice patio in back for daytime meals.
(5)
April L.
This place is OK. Compared to Sushi experiences from SF.. of course not, I love sushi. I especially love to use sushi grade fish from Tokyo Fish Market in Berkeley to make my own rolls or nigiri. So, this place is tolerable in a pinch, however, I like the pre-made boxes from Staff of Life if I'm just wanting fish! My husband always gets the bento boxes with beef, and the beef is usually ok and tender. He gets the side of sashimi, which is a good option because I can snack on that. The price is decent, but the only thing that REALLY BUGS is the fact that all the soups (with the exception of the sukiyaki served in an iron pot) are all served out of crappy plastic bowls and they use crappy soup spoons. I can actually feel the texture of the flatware disintegrating with the heat of the food. I watch the food sort of "stick" to the walls of the ?melamine? It makes me lose my appetite, seriously. Sorry, fellas, ceramic bowls are cheap and spoons, while they may break, at least don't leech plastic into my food. Please step it up! Also, please do a major clean/ overhaul of your tables and walls; everything is sticky and the tables are too close together.
(2)
Eazflo Z.
Never did I like it here. I grew up in SC and this place just never did it for me. Basil in sushi no thanks. Plus it is small, rude and inconsistent.
(2)
melisa n.
Very intereting combination of flavors on most rolls. Definitely not traditional but easy to take a liking to. Large restaurant with long waits during the weekend. Hit or miss with the freshness of the fish but never encountered anything questionable.
(3)
boyce p.
I have been vegan for 10 years and have tried sushi all over the US, and this is definitely at the top of my list of must eat sushi. We were not very hungry, but the menu looked so good, we had four rolls and some vegan pot stickers. The pot stickers were tasty, but not necessarily amazing. We had an artichoke themed roll, a beet themed roll, and two others that escape my memory, but featured a variety of vegetables and some of the best avocado in California. Prices were average for sushi, but given the diversity of ingredients and variety in flavor profile, I would say the prices were very good. They have the usual Japanese beers. If you are in the area, and want to try some interesting new vegetarian/vegan rolls, go here. Our waitress was attentive, bit brief. Food arrived very shortly after ordering. Much shorter wait than usual for great sushi. I was also with a large group of people, and they split the sushi up onto plates for vegans and non-vegans without asking us :) Missing 5th star for a lack of outstanding service.
(4)
Sabrina A.
So this place was good a few years ago, then pretty bad and now is pretty good again, so obviously not the most consistant place. Though the fish is usually pretty fresh, presentation is nice, udon soup is pretty good, miso soup and salad are good though standard. The place itself is pretty cute and have a nice little patio outside for when the weather is nice. It can get really crowded on the weekends, so be prepared for a wait and a crowded and close dining space. The wait staff is usually pretty uncaring and bleh. But I will admit it is better than a few other places downtown, the Shogun is my favorite.
(3)
April V.
I Love this place because of their different flavors...........lemon, cilantro, garlic, basil...............so yummy.
(4)
Mitchell W.
When in Santa Cruz and craving sushi, this is the place to go. The flying tiger roll is refreshing, the spicy tuna just right, and the host of spicy rolls with ginger and garlic are always ready to please. Don't worry the have the standard tastes as well. As for the entree's: They are good, but slightly on the pricy side. The Tuna has been great when I have had it, the chicken always a pleasure, and the miso tasty and hot. The Udon, while good, does not stand up to the other meals on the menu. When in santa cruz, and craving fish... either jump in the oceann and go bobbing for salmon, or go to mobo's.
(4)
Meryl Q.
their dragon roll... actually LOOKS like a dragon (with eye balls and legs and wispy bits and shredded carrot sticks sticking out that resembles fire). the kid and i spent about 5 minutes watching this sushi being made in awe. the serious detail that goes into it. amazing. great "June" roll. the chefs were super NICE ... really informative. the menu (rolls) were innovative and different from a typical sushi place (though they still have the "typical" sushi stuff)
(4)
Fred H.
Pretty good sushi, and a great vegetarian sushi menu. Lots of variety and the service was friendly. Definitely some unique rolls here.
(4)
Sirinda S.
If you only have one opportunity to eat here, try the corruptor (roll with unagi with basil, garlic, and macadamian nuts), the flying tiger (tempura shrimp roll), the teriyaki chicken (tender and flavorful), and finish it off with the tempura bananas with ice cream. You won't be disappointed.
(5)
J. O.
Their sushi is decent, but their Udon soup is to die for. Their prices are a bit expensive, but most of that is the ambience. I'm not sold on their sushi, but this is the semi-classy joint that is golden for Valentine's Day, New Years, and other holidays.
(3)
Sean G.
If you happen to escape the Bay and get down the 1 or over the Hill on 17 -- this is a great place to sop up the Santa Cruz wines or wash down the seawater from a session at Sharks. Always packed and always outstanding. The Rock roll is eel and its damn tasty.
(4)
John B.
We went to this sushi place because it had been rated "the best" of Santa Cruz, but instead we were confronted by a confusing menu, tired looking fish, and an expensive bill. We were seated in an out of the way corner of the restaurant...for what reason I don't know because there was hardly anyone else there, and there were many other open tables. It felt as though someone had stuck that table there in the dusty corner for customers who they don't like. I love sushi, and I was looking for some sashimi, and some classic rolls. But, unfortunately Mobo seems to focus more on trendy maki rolls, and cooked dishes. I was very disappointed with our experience there, and I'm seriously doubting how they got on the "Metro's best of Santa Cruz" list.
(2)
Megan W.
I have made a point thus far to never give out 5 stars but on the basis of the existence of the Guido roll alone, I bend, I obliterate my morals for Mobo. Eat it. Ascend to heaven.
(5)
Salty D.
Not really all that impressed. It's crowded and the sushi is just "ok". All that it really has going for it is the location and ambiance (if you can ignore the crowding).
(3)
Greycella L.
Mobo is tops for downtown Santa Cruz sushi options with a large menu with some creativity (though I think there's room for improvement) fresh fish and usually competent and helpful waitstaff. Even when they are totally slammed this place seems to hold it down. They just need to get on the unagi bandwagon. I thought the best in the county was Paradise Sushi in Capitola above Thai Basil, and as I mentioned the menu is slightly lacking what's necessary for that fifth star.
(4)
Carl S.
THE sushi place to go if you're dining with vegetarians. I've never seen Mobo's equal when it comes to vegetarian sushi.
(4)
Katie S.
I like Mobo's sushi enough that I hardly even hold it against them that once they gave me such horrible food poisoning I almost had to be hospitalized.
(4)
Mallory B.
my home away from home... i have already talked to the co-owner about renting a room in the back, but he assured me there was no opening at the time but he would let me know... SUSHI!!! i love it, cant live without it, spend entire pay checks on it, would probably cry all night if i couldn't have it, and will forever have a long lasting love affair with it! Mobo sushi is a great sushi place in Down town SANTA CRUZ tucked away in a business complex just passed all the hustle and bustle of pacific ave! Has 2 HUGE sushi bars, one full stock bar, 3 Huge inside dining rooms and one outside dining area I went there with a group of about 12 to 15 one night and they sat us outside, they let us decorate the table and area with balloons, streamers and confetti! they made sure we were all toasty warm with the over head heaters blasting and attended our every soon to be drunken needs!! We mentioned to them that we all wanted to do Sake Bombs! and i swear the waitresses eyes got wider then ours!! She said i have just the thing for you guys!! they soon brought out about 4 bottles of sake, beer and 12 to 15 glasses... cleared the middle of the table and began lining up the cups length wise on the table! they spaced them out so that just in between each of the glasses they were able to balance a double shot glass on top! as they poured sake and beer into each other glasses we couldn't believe what they were about to attempt!! It was going to be a Sake Bomb Domino Extravaganza!! all of the sudden the whole table got silent, as we looked around at all our our ever so eager eyes we began to yell at the top of our lungs " 1...2...3...SAKE BOMBS!!!!" and one shot glass fell into the first glass tipping the next shot glass to fall into the next beer and soo on down the whole length of the table!! as we each grabbed a glass and chugged as fast as we could (including the waitstaff) we could hardly contain ourselves and our excitement!! Wow what an experience... and don't worry we carry on this tradition weekly!
(4)
Josie K.
best sushi, rivaled only by 1 place in alameda which is too damn far from civilization. try special k and the corruptor. i like their little outfits too. they are liberal with the sake.
(5)
S S.
egh. great for vegetarians (extensive vegetarian menu), but if you want good sushi with fish, go elsewhere.
(2)
Brian B.
I cannot comment on the sushi here because I just ordered some Udon. Aesthetically, the restaurant is nicely lit and creates a nice ambiance. It was a good but not spectacular place for dinner. I would come back.
(4)
Anna G.
Loooove Mobo's. My favorite roll that they offer has cashews and broccoli and is so tasty. There's a wide variety of other good stuff as well, plus a nice selection of sake and beer and the like. The atmosphere is very condusive to social gatherings - therefore, whenever I've gone there with other people I've had an absolute blast. There's something about getting sushi with friends that is always so much fun. And the wait staff are patient when you've done to many sake bombs and start slurring your speech. Always a plus.
(4)
N N.
Good food, nice location outside, and let us have our dog under the table! Very nice staff and owner!
(4)
Whitney B.
Love, love, LOVE Mobo Sushi! Best sushi I've had in a long time. My favorites being any of their rolls with unagi and the miami roll. Can be a little crowded on the weekends but always worth a short wait for a table. On slow nights you can sometimes get a spot at the sushi bar and watch the action.
(5)
Brandon B.
Pretty good sushi place. I would go here pretty frequently when I lived in Santa Cruz.
(4)
Becca R.
Guido Roll you have to order it!! My favorite roll ever! Good tempura and miso also!
(4)
Ethan M.
The sushi here is excellent, one of the top 2-3 in Santa Cruz. Try the Krazy Kat and Presto Maki---great combinations of taste and mouth feel. If I were rating on sushi alone, Mobo would get 5 stars, but a sushi place has to have some other food for those who don't like sushi (or can't afford enough of it). Here, Mobo falls short. Their teriyaki is usually overcooked, though their tombo tuna is usually pretty good. The atmosphere here is good too---real sushi bar, with some cozy tables in the corner next to the sushi bar. The restaurant is pretty big, but still manages to be reasonably full on weekends. Definitely worth a visit.
(4)
V F.
Pretentious, overpriced, bad service, food not great, and they hate kids. There are so many better places in Santa Cruz to eat Sushi!
(1)
Andrew P.
Since first impressions can be deceiving, my wife and I and some friends decided to give Mobo a second chance. The overall experience was slightly above average. For starters, the green tea is served by the cup, using the old hot water and tea bag routine...not the real stuff. The miso soup was a bit too salty and lacked a fresh brewed taste. The ocean salad was good. I will say this, Mobo has many maki rolls to choose from. Although a few of the maki rolls were excellent (e.g., Guido, Corruptor), some were quite plain or bland tasting. In addition, some of the rolls were a bit poorly constructed and fell apart upon grabbing with the slick wooden chopsticks. Furthermore, some of the high-end maki rolls were WAY overpriced, including their version of the rainbow roll (Tazuna) which costs $17 and was topped with way too much tobiko. The service was good, although the maki was not thoughtfully served on the table according to who ordered what, but rather was jammed on to a large plate, making access for the 6 of us at the small table a bit too much work. Overpriced, but not a bad place. Definitely not the best sushi in Santa Cruz! e
(3)
Angela L.
Big restaurants, good for large parties or even a date. Atmosphere is very fun, exciting, and loud. Sushi is satisfying, but super great. Maybe I haven't tried the perfect rolls yet. Service is fair, they aren't as attentive as I'd like them to be. Price can be fair and a little bit more expensive depending on what you order. I've had good experiences there, but the bill is usually higher compared to other sushi restaurants I would eat at. I would go again.
(3)
Elisa L.
Ehh was alright I definitely had better quality sushi with better prices.. and Idk if its just me but when I go to a sushi restaurant I think miso soul and salad is a given and to pay extra here for the side was a turn off. I also ordered the pineapple express which I think was amazing! The sweetness of the pineapple and crunch of the macadamia nuts were a great combination but as for the little strand of HAIR I found in my roll definitely ruined my appetite for the food and the place.
(1)
Katie B.
Nor Cal roll is amazinggggg. Only been picked up sushi from their once but the sushi was great. The person taking phone calls was a little rude though.
(4)
Audrey C.
Mobo is definitely different than I Love Sushi or Tototos. Some of the rolls here are super cheap, maybe about $5 a roll for the smaller ones and they aren't a bad portion size but I definitely need more than one of the those to fill me up. It's nice if you want a variety of rolls to eat! They also have their specialty rolls that are huge and are about $12 a roll I would say. I love their bento boxes here. The 3 choice one is $17 and the sashimi here is good as well as the beef teriyaki! One of the better ones that I have had. One thing I don't like about this place is that the wait is kind of long for the food. They don't give free appetizers either which is why the wait feels so long maybe. The parking is easy with a huge lot shared by Woodstocks, Trader Joes, and other stores around the area.
(3)
Neera B.
Terrible service. I swear I think our server had a million better things to do than her job. Food is just okay. I've tried over and over to like this place, especially with the Mobo fanatics in SC...but it just doesn't cut it. It's off the rotation now also. There are too many other wonderful sushi places that are not pretentious and don't appear bothered by simple requests of their customers (may I have some more water?)
(1)
Paul D.
This place is really fantastic and no MSG! The people here are really friendly and the sushi rolls are really delicious. The free beers with shots of sake on Friday and Saturday nights definitely add to the greatness of this place. Also, the owner is a very friendly and personable guy. My only problem -- but I still give them five stars -- was that I did not get my change back from the waitress until I asked for it. I guess she thought she was getting a 40% tip instead of 20%. Go figure! In my opinion, after living in a number of countries where no tip is required, that 20% is more than enough.
(5)
Kellie S.
I have mixed feelings about this place. The special rolls are very good and not very expensive. Their normal rolls are really good and cheap and there's a lot of vegetarian options. My problem though is, I have a severe gluten allergy and they are one of the only sushi places that I would trust in Santa Cruz. If you ask your server they'll bring you a menu that has all the items that are naturally gluten free circled on their main menu. They also have gluten free soy sauce. I've eaten there several times and I've never found myself directly sick from there(but I am also typically sick so I'm not really sure the source....) BUT last time I went there I told my waitress I was gluten free and a manager or someone came out and starting telling me that they use vinegar derived from wheat along with rice vinegar for their sushi rice. He did tell me that I could substitute out this rice with plain rice however. Like I said, I've never had a direct reaction from this place but I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone that has a problem with gluten unless they go in with the knowledge about subbing for the plain rice. This is the most gluten-free friendly sushi place I've found on westside Santa Cruz though, so I'll probably end up going back again.
(3)
Yuki G.
Disclaimer: I've only been to Mobo once. Also, I'm snobby when it comes to Japanese restaurants because Japanese food is my mama's food, ya dig? Let's go to yet another Japanese restaurant run by Koreans you say? *sigh* OK. Actually, it's a proper restaurant and not the fast food strip mall variety I usually drag my feet to. I don't eat any animal products so I was very much appreciate of the long list of vegetarian sushi options and that's what I stuck to. I had a question about one of the items and either the waitress didn't know and made up her answer or she misheard me because when the sushi arrived, I let it sit there because it didn't look like what she described and I assumed one of the other people at my table had ordered it. I went on a Friday evening and my timing couldn't have been more perfect. I had heard about their infamous sake bomb "show" and it's kind of corny but also super fun to witness. I didn't like the actual taste of it (more of a shandy girl I suppose) but I really appreciate the effort the restaurant goes to to set up 100 sake bombs in a show-stopping manner and then hand them out for free (with ID). Next time I'm back in town, I'll be back to try more sushi options and give that sake bomb another go.
(4)
Duong N.
When we walked in the hostess Amy was very friendly and nice...(other then this the night was horrible). We ordered a picture of beer and our waitress was extremely rude, they gave us two dirty beer cups back to back. The first one has a lipstick stain, when I ask the waitress for another cup she came back after waiting 10 minutes or so, drop the cup in my face and left. The CUP was still DIRTY with food stains. As the hostess was sitting down another party, I asked her for another cup while still waiting for the waitress for our first replacement cup. She was kind and gave me a new cup. We then ordered 4 sake bomb later on and she came back with 3. She said oops I'm sorry ill come back with another one (5 minutes later...) 2 stars because the crunchy dragon roll was good and the hostess was marvelous. Other then that the other rolls were typical and the service suck. Initially this place looked like a decent sushi place, but the decor was horrible, bathrooms look dirty/run down... Never again will I come to this place
(2)
April C.
Was taken here by my host when I visited from out of town, and it was PHENOMENAL. The Crunch Dragon is the best roll on the menu, and the tempura sweet potato roll was a great veggie option. I wish I would have been staying long enough to eat here twice, but alas - I'll have to come again on my next visit. BOTTOM LINE: Delicious, totally affordable, great service. You must eat here!
(5)
CJ D.
Great place to get fresh sushi and to have fun as a prelude to the weekend. The staff is attentive and sincere. I live in the Bay Area and with all the sushi places I frequent, this is a favorite. Tip: come with a laid back and friendly attitude and you will receive the same.
(4)
Jessica Z.
The sushi isn't that great and the service is terrible. I went there for my friends 21st around 5pm while it was kind of dead, and we waited over an hour for our sushi. It wasn't until we complained when our sushi came out.. finally. Also, they charge 35 cents for siracha sauce. Really? lol The only cool thing about this place is the domino sake shots effects they do in the evenings.. but that's it.
(1)
Meredith P.
The staff is hit or miss. Some staff members are very friendly and knowledgeable. Others don't know anything about the rolls or don't seem very experience in serving or both. What I witnessed while waiting for my take-out order during my last visit was not cool. A couple who had just walked out come back in realizing they were given someone else's credit card and their meal was put on that card. This someone else must have their card. The hostess seemed worried and tracked down their server. Now mind you this was a super super super busy night so I could see how this mistake can happen. However, the server's attitude was so unapologetic, I was shocked. She didn't really look at their tickets to try and figure out if maybe that table was still there. These people have to contact their bank and then try and look this guy up on the internet before he walks around town with their card not noticing and using it (because lord knows most people do not check ID for credit cards around SC). I'm pretty sure I never heard an apology out of that server, just an "uh oh." I've worked at a sushi restaurant, so I know what ingredients I like and what roll combinations sound good. For those less familiar, it's very easy to order something you are not expecting (I've had this happen to several of my dinner companions during my trips here) or something really bland. Some of their specialty rolls are more creative, but overall it's just simple maki rolls. Having found the ones I love, I really enjoy the rolls that I get. Presto maki, crop burning (veggie), and crunch dragon are all really good. The sake bomb waterfall thing is really cool. People love it. It's fun to watch. It's free liquor to customers. You cannot go wrong with that idea. I've heard people talk about going in just for this, so it's bringing in business.
(3)
Brandon H.
I have loved this place since the first time I ate here. Compared to the rest of the state, it has the cheapest, best, most creative sushi. Try to get in on Friday or Saturday night to get a free sake bomb (and enjoy an awesome show).
(5)
Jamie R.
awesome awesome awesome! amazing & creative sushi. tons of vegan/ vegetarian choices. great staff. complimentary sake bombs on fri & sat night. a must!
(5)
Kari S.
After a good solid ten years of coming to Mobo it's about time I write a review. I seem to only review my new finds leaving all my old favored treasures and stand by's in the dust. Mobo is a staple in my life. I bring most of my out of town guests here for a fine meal, I love coming here on dates, I love Mobo as a quick and easy lunch stop, as well as a Friday night Japanese drunken saki fest, and lately I have been calling orders in and picking them up on my way home from work. Which brings me to tonight.... ...oh how we overlook the ones we love! Magic Maki and Lomi Lomi Salmon Salad! I just realized how much you mean to me Mobo!
(5)
Pauline D.
A shining example of "you get what you pay for." My eyes nearly popped out of my head when I saw that the menu was both extensive and inexpensive ($6-7 for most rolls)... and right along Front St., no less! That's were the positive ends and the problems start setting in. After calling in our order 20 min prior, we came in to pick up our lunch. There's only one lady, perhaps the owner, at the front who plays the role of hostess, cashier, phone answerer, and to-go caretaker -- an ambitious undertaking during the increasingly busy lunch rush. We ended up loitering around the register area for at least 15 minutes while she finished taking care the dine-in newcomers, phone orders, payments, etc. They have a weird and incredibly inefficient setup for their credit cards, where the machine is located across the way on the other side of the restaurant, separate from the register so every time someone would whip out their CC, she'd have to run across and back. All this I can forgive pretty easily, though. Sometimes you don't expect it to be as busy as it gets and you're shorthanded. I get it. However, I can't forget bad food. One of my biggest foodie pet peeves when dining at a specialty restaurant is when they don't get the specialty item right. You go out for pasta and you expect it to be cooked al dente, right? Cupcakes should be moist. Steak cooked to order. Beer ice-cold. And sushi... well, the rice shouldn't be dry, undercooked and stick to your molars after every chew! I had to scrape off the rice from my rolls to make them edible. The sushi inners themselves were A-OK, nothing spectacular on the palate despite being a little more creative than many sushi joints. Returnability: zilch, zero. Maybe if I were a local college student I'd give them another chance, but as an out-of-towner, there are too many other dining establishments worth my stomach space... Why fill it with mediocre sushi?
(2)
Stephanie W.
It's alright. The rolls are different. They aren't like Sushi Totoro's or I Love Sushi's. The rolls are like maki rolls, just think a cucumber roll but with other stuff. I feel like their (for example.) dragon roll is just in a different shape. I am not sure if I am making much sense, but their rolls aren't large. Their small, but still filling. I wonder how they do that. Hmm... They might have large rolls, I am just not sure where they are. We always end up sitting at the sushi bar area. The one thing I have a problem with is the Salmon (Sake). I feel like my salmon is always smoked, I like sushi's salmon to be fresh and RAW! Oh! I have been here for actual sit down, it had slow service. That's all I remember from that visit. The rolls are good. Try it.
(3)
Rebecca S.
Best sushi in SC! This place is consistently great. They have a huge selection, and everything is fresh & tasty. Faves: Presto Maki, Corruptor, Krazy Kat. Really, I could go on & on. They also have a great vegetarian selection, so no one is left out!
(5)
Steph W.
First and foremost, free sake bombs! Now that the most important part of the review is out of the way, I came here with a large group of people and I definitely think the service was good and accommodating. We had about 30 people, and the table was already set up for us in the back patio. Our table was divided into three sections to make it easier for the servers. No issues there. The menu is quite extensive. I definitely had a hard time choosing what to try. I saw the specials menu and settled on a Nor Call roll. Popcorn shrimp and tobiko, so enticing. When it first came out, I was so stoked because it looked huge. Most of the popcorn shrimp ended up to be fried bits. I think there were about 10 shrimps, so that's fine. The California roll was okay, nothing to write home about. Overall, the roll was okay, I don't know if I'd order it again. The owner was super nice and came over a few times to check if things were okay.
(3)
Jared P.
Imagine some of the most delicious food that the Eastern World has to offer combined with some of the worst music America has to offer, country music. This is right where Mobo comes in. There is nothing like a Spicy Scallop Roll and Seaweed Salad with a side of Brad Paisley to wash it down, but don't let that deter you from eating here. The only real deterrent should be the hair we found in our Miso Soup. So big deal, hair doesn't scare us anymore, after all, we find them in our home cooking all the time and it''s never anyone's fault. The food, nonetheless, is actually pretty good here. We order the lunch special which had 2 rolls and 3 pieces of nigiri. One of the rolls had tuna and basil with a sweet coconut sauce on top and the other roll had tuna, avocado and Macadamia nuts on it. Who doesn't love nuts? To accompany this order we also had The Death Star Roll and Some variation of a spicy scallop roll(I forget the name). Both very tasty though. It gets hard to remember every detail about lunch sometimes. The waitress was also very nice, too nice in fact. She sidled right up in between us every few minutes to make sure we were all set. It can become a little bothersome at times when trying to enjoy the meal. Overall, the experience at MoBo was enjoyable. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a quick, delicious meal at an affordable price. I have had better sushi but also worse so this restaurant finds itself with a 3.5 rating (I rounded up to be nice). Why can't you give half ratings? It doesn't make sense, like that hair we found in our soup. Miso confused still about who's it is.
(4)
Ellen N.
yum. good food. nice staff.
(5)
Chris O.
So far our experience here has been pretty good. They have a very large menu of all sorts of tasty sushi and other Japanese food too various to mention. Very good portion sizes too.
(4)
Harrison M.
The sushi here is always really good. They have a good mix of classic dishes and some funky kooky sushi creations complete with crazy names to go with them. The service is always pretty good unless its super crowded then you can find yourself fighting for attention, but I don't hold that against them. It's hard to keep up when's 10 tables are fighting for your attention.
(4)
Angela P.
The atmosphere was good. My friends and I sat near the front entrance of the restaurant so we didn't get to see much, but from what I did see it wasn't too bad. The food wasn't the best Japanese food I've ever eaten (but growing up in the bay area I feel like my Japanese-food-standard has been raised unrealistically high). There were about 7 of us eating, and my boyfriend and I ordered the Mobo Wrap, and other people ordered other stuff and we all split. Here's the general breakdown though: Mobo Wrap ($12.95) -- Wasn't too bad. I've never had anything like this before so yes it definitely was refreshing to eat and try something new. It comes in 4 so if you're not that hungry or you don't eat a lot to begin with it's perfect to share, but if you're hungry or like food in general then I'd get one for yourself. The Nor-Cal ($11.95) -- Really good sushi, and the crunchy stuff on the top is really really good. Though I feel like they put a bit too much so towards the end it gets kinda like bleh but otherwise it's not bad. The Death Star ($7.75) -- Very nice for a small dish. It was different and quite enjoyable; really yummy, perfect to share. Popcorn Chicken ($8.95) -- Better popcorn chicken then most. Comes with rice :) Then we also got a few other stuff but I don't quite remember what else..overall the food wasn't too bad, probably a 4/5 stars. What tripped us up was the 18% gratuity thing though. I mean I kinda expected there to be a gratuity thing since there's 7 of us, but what I didn't realize it applied to parties of 5 and above and it was a staggering 18%. I mean, it's kinda ridiculous if you think about it because if it's 5 people or above then if a family of 5 comes in they'd definitely have to pay the 18% gratuity. Kinda ridiculous. My boyfriend was confused about that as well and when we got home we checked online, and apparently if they don't tell you ahead of time or put it somewhere on the menu where it tells you about the 18% gratuity fee, it's technically illegal and they are NOT allowed to do that by law. I mean we didn't really pay attention and that's definitely something we're gonna keep an eye out for next time, but the waitress should've mentioned it to us before we ordered. And being college students, the 18% gratuity jacked up our bill to a ridiculous amount. The service wasn't super amazing either: it was hard to find her when we wanted to order, and when we didn't she kept on coming by our table asking if we were ready. Bottom line, I'd definitely go back again because the sushi was good enough, but I wouldn't go back with a large party.
(3)
Why T.
Best sushi in Santa Cruz! Kevin and the staff really make great food! Always friendly and accommodating! I have never, in the 8 years going to this place, had a bad meal, or service. Our order always comes up right and the staff is so friendly and on top of things. The best of Santa Cruz for sure!
(5)
Madeleine L.
Crabby roll is still the best, but there are definite winners and losers from the maki maki rolls menu. Stray cat was not a roll I'd get again, not sure if it was the shizo or the katsuo but one ingredient threw the balance off and left a strong flavor that really overpowered all the simpler rolls we got and was a little unpleasant. I guess I just need to be a little more careful making my selections from the menu.
(3)
Kim D.
Great location and love the ingredients they use. A fresh approach to a traditional food. Love the pickled appetizer.
(3)
Natalie P.
Worst sushi in santa cruz why even waste your time with this place when every other sushi place is better? If you wanna spend 2 whole hours there waiting to get your order taken, waiting forever to be served the mediocre food, waiting forever for the check, and waiting forever for your change/receipt then sure. But no its not worth it and the nasty fake crab they use is gross? Its not even the tasty kind of fake crab its just nasty slices of booboo plus the rolls are overpriced and they try to get you with these deals where they just deepfry some crap and throw it on top of the roll and call it a $12 special. Do yourself a favor and walk down the street to I Heart Sushi and get the dinner combination box with 3 items for the same price as one nasty ass roll at Mobo.
(1)
Nora H.
I was in charge of planning my best friend's birthday dinner last month, so when I called to make the reservation for 17 people at 6pm on a Saturday (Memorial Weekend too!), I was a little nervous. I've had plenty of not-so-great experiences with big dinner parties at restaurants, so I had my fingers crossed. And...Mobo Sushi was amazing! :) When we all arrived, we waited just a couple of minutes for them to finish getting our humongous table ready. We all sat down and they took our drink orders shortly. I was surprised at how fast the drinks came out! A bunch of us ordered cocktails and beers, and they came almost right after we ordered even though it was a busy night. I got the Absolut Arnold, which is pretty much an Arnold Palmer with tea-flavored vodka instead of regular tea. Delicious! And very strong. I wasn't the only one feelin that one. ;) Then we all ordered our sushi. I got the Nor Cal Roll, which was described as a California Roll with popcorn shrimp. I was not expecting the mountain of popcorn shrimp that came with it but that's what I got! It was great though, because I passed some around to everyone because everyone wanted to try - it looked yummy and it absolutely was. They had some kind of honey glaze (I think) on the shrimp that made it incredible. And the California Roll was the best I've ever had! :D Everyone else was raving about the sushi the entire time we were there. I'm normally not even a huge sushi fan, but clearly I've been eating some mediocre sushi before this point! We got the bill after everyone finished and the 18% gratuity was added. Considering how many people were there, it was a reasonable bill! Luckily almost everyone brought cash, so we didn't have to hassle them with various credit cards. They handled the bill quickly and off we went! In and out in an hour and a half. On a Saturday night with 17 people! Awesome service, awesome food, go check it out.
(5)
Alessandra I.
Good sushi! Friday and saturday nights ya get a free sake bomb...... they line the bar and ya count down and BOOM.....Sake for everyone! The pricing is right for me as well.
(5)
Vic V.
Excellent choice for a wide variety of sushi and other fresh Japanese foods.
(4)
Lesley H.
Out of all the sushi places I've been to in Santa Cruz, I have to say that Mobo is probably the best (although that's not saying much considering its competitors). I come here and suggest coming here when I want sushi and do not want to head over to san jose. The food is average. Nothing spectacular. Same with the service (just alright).
(3)
Yvette B.
Ate here a couple times for the vegetarian options but after tonight I'll make sure to tell everyone to steer clear of this place! One of the waitresses was sloppy DRUNK and called one of the customers a "d!ckhe@d" and it caused a big scene (understandably). SO TACKY and so unprofessional it ruined my meal. I asked the upset party what happened as they were leaving to their car and apparently they asked for a different waitress because theirs was clearly drunk & rude and everything after that was fine till they were leaving (they paid the bill & still tipped!) and she called one of them a d!ckhe@d. lol. The manager appologized on her behalf and explained she had too many sake bombs and refunded their money. Why do they let their staff get wasted on company time? I dunno and don't care but I'll definetly never come back because I don't want to be sat in the drunken waitress section and have another meal ruined. I hope they write a review so I can hear the whole story!
(1)
Jeffrey S.
Spicy Big Mac roll - terrible name, super tasty. Nigiri can be hit or miss. Great wait staff and free saki bombs!
(4)
Cait C.
I've been going to Mobo for a little over a year now. I love sushi, and although I can say it's not the best place for very traditional sushi, it is fantastic for more experimental makis and is the best place for vegetarian sushi. My boyfriend is allergic to fish, so we greatly appreciate that they have more vegetarian options than a "Kappa Roll" and they always separate the veggie rolls from fish rolls. Our personal favorite veggie rolls are: Magic, Vern, and Guido. I would be in love if they would add some alternative meat rolls.
(4)
Aaron N.
Mobos is one of my favorite sushi places in all of the Bay Area. Food is great and good prices. I love most of the rolls, and The Crunch Dragon Special is an all time favorite. My girlfriend is allergic to seafood and orders the vegetarian sushi, she loves the selection and great combos they offer. (Most other sushi places do "veggie rolls" that are one or two bits of vegetable in rice-lame! But not, Mobos) They go all-out on Veggie rolls and seafood rolls. Delicious! Sometimes we drive all the way to Santa just to eat at Mobos. its that good! Oh, and they also do a cool Sake Bomb domino trick at the bar on Friday and Saturday evenings and then you can get the drinks for 1 penny each. Awesome! We have looked all over the peninsula and still can't find any sushi place as good as Mobos.
(5)
Lin V.
Waitress made us order 2 minutes stepping foot in the place, in a DARK corner AWAY from everything. Told us last call - then 4 people came in 30 minutes later and were seated and ordered even though "last call" was supposedly 30 minutes ago.. There are better places then Mobo Sushi, the fish isn't even of good quality. Overpriced mediocre, lower grade then grocery store sushi but seemed to be either frozen and deep fried or microwaved, then served on a plate pretending to pass as "fresh" quality. Go somewhere else like I love sushi or Totoro if you're craving sushi in Santa Cruz.
(1)
Pete P.
First off I must say I am rating this Sushi Bar a 3.5 stars. We tried a few different rolls and I must say the Spicy Big Mac was delicious. In fact, the other 2 rolls we ate were great too. The problem and the reason for 3.5 stars instead of 4, the Fresh Salmon Sashimi had a bone. First time ever in a Sushi Bar getting a bone in the Sashimi. Service was decent but like I said, a bone?? I do recommend Mobo and will be back in the future.
(3)
Pacifica F.
Mobo sushi is so good that I've stopped eating at all other sushi joints cause it's always a let down compared to Mobo. Living in Pacifica means that I don't get to eat sushi very often now, but it makes that trip to Mobo all the more special. Outstanding prices - I eat like a queen and it's never a pain in the wallet. Incredibly fresh fish and beautiful rolls, most with cashews or macadamia nuts. MMMMMM Easy Pickle, Presto Maki, Broccoli Maki, Vern Maki, Magic Maki, and an extra Broccoli roll to go to savor on the way home after seeing a good show at Moe's Alley :-)
(5)
Martha A.
This place has the best sushi in town. I love that they have a good selection of vegan appetizers and vegan sushi that is consistently good. I'm giving it 4 instead of 5 stars because customer service can be spotty, and their drinks are weak and expensive. It can be busy, and once it is, it is really loud. So if noise is a factor for you, try this place out for lunch or early dinner.
(4)
Tona K.
I love sushi and I love Mobo! So yummy every time!
(5)
Kay D.
Mobo used to be my go to sushi spot in town. The last few times I have been there I have been very disappointed. The service awful. The last time I was there I had to flag down the bus boys numerous times just to get a waitress to come to our table. The food is still decent but overall, Mobo has lost some of it's Mojo!
(2)
Alanna L.
They have a wide selection of rolls, so there is something for everyone.
(5)
Eli L.
The sushi is freakin good!!! Bento box freakin hit the spot And the whole rest of the day i was still freakin craving the california rolls!! FREAKIN EH!!
(5)
Colin C.
Mobo's has the best sushi in the area. They also have many delicious vegetarian options, gluten-free soy sauce, and are cheaper than other restaurants.
(5)
Jess N.
To be honest I'm not really a sushi person...well, I hate seafood. If I go to a Japanese/sushi restaurant, I always order the California roll. But I wanted to try something new when I came here. I got the calamari roll and it was good. I was very glad I ordered it. It was a fun experience at Mobo Sushi. It was entertaining watching the chief make the sushi. After me and my friends finished and asked for the check. This one server lady got our check ready, we paid and she took it away and we waited. After she came back she gave us the most horrible attitude ever and said "what? No tips?!" and rolled her eyes. Lady, we were waiting for our cards and the receipt. How the hell can we give tip if we didn't have any paper money and a piece of paper and pen?! Two star bc of that rude server...other than that it was a perfect dinner.
(2)
Carrie P.
Ok...so had lunch their for the first time today. I'm not a big fan of too many sushi places in Scotts Valley and Santa Cruz because I love great flavor and most boring and the rolls taste the same (boring). However I had one of their special rolls called the Death Star and it was really really tasty ! It had tuna (i asked for spicy tuna), basil, garlic, macadamia nuts and cream cheese. OMG! It was awesome!! My son had the NORCAL roll, which was a California Roll with an OVERLOAD of popcorn shrimp over the top. He said it was fantastic. I tasted the popcorn shrimp and it was very good. Why not the five full stars you ask?...Well it took forever to get our lunch. There were 5 of us and we had to waive down the server to get more water. She never touched base after we ordered even to say thanks for waiting. We was, however, knowledgeable and gave a good recommendation/alternative choice when she took our order. Just know in advance that if you have 5 people (doesn't seem like a lot at lunch) they imbedded the 18% gratuity automatically which kinda upset us cause service wasn't great. The server's attitude appeared she was having a horrible day. We mentioned it to manager and he gave pretty much a "who cares" attitude. I will give them another try just cause their food was that yummy! Also it was $30 for two of us (water only) to eat...
(4)
Adele T.
Mobo is one of the best for sushi in SC, which is sadly lacking but what can you do. However what puts mobo over the top and to the top of my sushi list are the FREE sake bombs on fri and sat. This is really a fun little production they put on where 100 sake bombs are lined up like dominos, then handed out, happens around 9 pm. You can usually get two if you finish your first in a decent amount of time :) But really mobo needed to find a way to differentiate themselves and they did it! makes for a fun place to bring friends who havent seen it, or just a good deal bc youre getting a couple drinks for free. Definitely worth checking out!
(4)
Judy V.
I don't know why all my friends love this place. I mean, it's okay, but that's about it. I've been here several times it is consistently average. When I go out for sushi, that's what I get so I can't speak to any of the other Japanese dishes. The selection of fish is smaller than I Love Sushi and they are more expensive. The fish is good and the rolls are fun, but for the price I would go down the street. The service has always, and I mean every time I've been there, been very slow and a bit rude. Maybe impatient is a better word. I'm sure I'll go here again because so many of my friends love it, I just really can't figure it out.
(2)
Benjamin W.
Pretty chill Sushi place, pretty big and the ambiance was nice too. When I came it was super packed, and they served us on one of those fold-able target tables... which was fine I guess, I rather eat on that thing than wait for a long time. This time round I did not order sushi, instead I got the bento box thingies. It was pretty good, nothing fancy or explody going on, your typical Santa Cruz sushi restaurant... Why are there so many sushi places here in SC?? Anyway, service was good, ambiance was nice, and food was pretty ok, parking is easy because there's a huge lot.
(3)
Kelly B.
We came here to pick up a gift certificate for a Christmas gift. Since it was lunchtime and we were hungry, we stayed to eat and I am so glad that we did! They have an extensive selection of vegetarian and vegan sushi rolls and the prices are very reasonable. We selected five rolls (three veg and two vegan) and nothing disappointed us. In fact, everything was very delicious and fresh! Some were unexpected combinations that delivered complex but tasty flavors. We were more than full and still had enough left over to take home. Service was excellent and truly exceeded every possible expectation. Our server was so nice and prompt. The food came quickly - no long wait for the rolls! Ambiance is not fancy, but it is clean and spacious. The food seems to be the real standout here. If you are vegetarian or vegan and are looking for great sushi that offers more than just avocado and cucumber rolls, this is a place you should check out. We are excited to have found a fresh, delicious and affordable sushi restaurant and look forward to coming back to try more from the menu!
(5)
Ivy C.
Let me sum up my experience. - Server asked if we were ready 2 minutes after sitting. No. We are not. Obviously. - 15 minutes later, server comes back to take our order. - 45 minutes later we finally get our food. - One of the rolls was wrong. - 10 minutes later, we find our server to complain. She takes the roll back. - 20 minutes later, server comes to see if we want anything else or to close the bill.... wtf I thought you were replacing the roll? No. She just canceled the order... - So she offers the girl ice cream. - Tasty, but my poor friend only ate one small tuna maki roll, and ice cream. - Left a horrible tip (which I never do) and wrote in the comment box. I think the manager or owner came and took our comment straight out of my hands and went straight to the server, making the situation very awkward and uncomfortable. My advice, replace the dyed redhead server or have better rules regarding incorrect rolls. I am staying clear of this place for a while.
(1)
Kes D.
Mobo has expanded since I graduated in 2008 (I think they took over what used to be a jewelry store next door...) Their rolls remain largely the same (except like a "SUPER ROLLLLLL" menu that seems like it was meant to compete with "I Love Sushi"). Flying Tiger (shrimp tempura, avocado, but not too heavy) & Sushi Rage *hamachi, shiso, green onion, good counter to heavy rolls) = good deviations on traditional Japanese food in American rolls. Pink caddy = sorta bland, wouldn't recommend Krazy kat = kinda cool, different actually. This had a nice kick to it. Full bar + Good american sushi rolls + pretty good service = win!! Service is actually better now. Maybe because they get to wear comfy t-shirts instead of stereotypical asian qipao (which are Chinese by the way) or short length wanna be yukata. Our server was really nice but I do feel like she was pushing us out a little bit. Overall, 4 stars. Still one of my favorite sushi places after many years, and I'd say I'm a bit of a foodie by now.
(4)
Donna R.
We came here on several people's recommendations and found the place lived up to its reputation. Very innovative rolls! A TON of food for the money. Two people pigged out plus had beer and sake for under $40. We ordered a specialty roll ("the eliminator"), a souped up eel-cucumber roll with cilantro, lemon, and macadamia nuts - yum! Also the Maui-wowie, which added macadamia nuts to a tuna-avocado roll. The scooter roll came with soft shell crab, burdock root, cucumber, avocado, and lemon. We also ordered two interesting vegetarian rolls - the "artishaw" (artichoke, avocado, cashew) and the "ultimate mushroom" with shiitake and picked radish. Also inari came with picked radish and carrot - an intriguing improvement to the traditional, and at least twice the size. So, that's what we *ordered*. We definitely got that amount of sushi.... I think they may have improvised some ingredients here and there. We didn't mind the variations, as it was all tasty and very affordable for sushi.
(4)
Melissa T.
Not my number one sushi spot in Santa Cruz. I've been here twice. Service is inconsistent. One time we sat for an hour and then the waitress came, only to tell us it would be longer. They gave us a free seaweed salad for our troubles, but we had TV to watch! Important show, that I now forget which show. Oh well. The other time, it was a little better. Their sushi is mediocre and they have nothing really going for them. Nothing exciting. Just a place that serves sushi. Oh, it's really big so you don't really have to wait. But other than that, I would rather go to Totoros.
(2)
A R.
bummer. I loved this place back in the 90's, they had fresh wasabi and it always felt special to go there. the other night I was in Santa Cruz for a concert and took my friend here. no fresh wasabi. rude staff. and some fishy fish. not terrible, but not what it used to be and not at all great. if you drive all the way down to santa cruz go some place amazing, hopeful someplace similar to the way mobo was once upon a time.
(2)
Lauren L.
WOW! My fiance, sister and myself went here for dinner a couple of weeks ago. The food is always amazing. Their rolls are very creative and the fish is always very fresh. We even got to see an amazing sake bomb domino! Must have been 100 sake bombs on the bar! 1st time seeing this and it was a great way to start the meal, plus we each got a yummy sake bomb! Fave roll=death star, eliminator, tsunami. SO GOOD! Also, the back patio is magical, the foliage and lighting make for a very romantic evening. youtube.com/watch?v=tbVh…
(5)
Pris S.
I love the sushi at Mobo! Recommendation: Starstruck (with fresh salmon), Norcal and the hamachi nigiri. They never disappoint. I order takeout from there all the time. It's hidden in a plaza and it's presence and reputation is not as big as I Love Sushi, but i definitely prefer Mobo over I Love Sushi (despite it being my favorite when i was a first year in Santa Cruz). Now if only their customer service was up to par with their food. Every time i eat there, our waitress is always careless, no matter who. They do their mandated one check-in and they always take up to 20 minutes before taking our orders before disappearing until they give us the check. I'd definitely recommend better customer service if Mobo would like to make it's presence bigger downtown. Their food is delicious and their ambiance is wonderful!
(3)
Travis I.
Their creativity (which too many sushi snobs take as an offense and a degradation of the "art of sushi") balances their mediocre service. Located just off Pacific Ave, near Trader Joes, Mobo Sushi is a great compromise for those of us who know of better sushi places, but are stuck in a non-foodie town like Santa Cruz. By no means "bad" sushi, Mobo provides some really cool new-age fusion sushi rolls. And though I'm not really into fusion sushi, the rolls I've had here have certainly curbed my voracious sushi cravings, on drunken weekend nights. I would not, however, say this place is award-winning, nor is it in my top ten list. BUT, like I said, when you're stuck in the Cruz, this will more than suffice. For added satisfaction: add sake.
(3)
A D A.
I've been an addict for many many years. I have three things to say... Tempura Corruptor Death Star Presto Maki Love love love..... Great website!
(5)
natasha m.
Love it, good service fresh rolls. I love that u can have any roll in a cucumber if u are not feeling the rice. They have free sakebomb fri and sat nights .
(5)
Roy C.
Food is consistently fair. An interesting array of decadent roll creations and reasonably fresh fish. Skill level of assembly is competent. Seating available at sushi bars, or one of several noisy, crowded dining rooms. Service is where this restaurant fails. At best, it's brusk and at worst it is downright argumentative and rude.
(2)
Max P.
This restaurant has some of the best sushi I've ever had, but some of the items are not up to par with others. Get the Salmon Baker with tempura flakes on top. It will set you back 15-16$ but this is a roll sent from above! unbelievably tasty, though far from traditional. I also recommend the Special K roll if you want something a little less filling and expensive. There's a lot to try at Mobo but if you don't like something, try something else. You wont be sorry.
(5)
Meghan O.
Love this place sooo much!!!! Amazing food, great service, fun atmosphere. Definitely my fav restaurant in Santa Cruz!!! :)
(5)
Trinh N.
If I could give this place zero stars, I would, but it's not an option. If you enjoy good fish, DO NOT EAT HERE. Mobo's rolls are sushi flavored junk food, with barely any fish inside. The rolls are huge, so you just fill up on cheap rice and all the other fillings, not fish. I have no clue what the hype about this place is, the quality of the food is horrible. I have been to this place a handful of times and always think to myself, maybe this time will be good. Well, that will never happen because I have just come to realize this place is completely overrated. One time, my friends and I were peeling the seaweed off the roll because it was rubbery and hard to chew, seriously. This is the only sushi establishment I have ever known to get their seaweed wrong, never mind the fish and everything else. The service is poor, the waitresses are rude and not attentive at all. The owner is an asshole on top of all this. They don't even put table clothes on the plastic tables from Costco. I thought this place was supposed to be somewhat classy?!? Do yourself a favor and don't eat here. From now on, I refuse to hang out with my friends if they are having dinner here. It's really that bad because I love my friends but I hate the food here. NEVER AGAIN MOBO!!
(1)
Jeromy G.
Lot's of people hate on this restaurant because they say its cheaply made sushi and not good. I don't think it's that bad, its tasty and cheap which is nice. Granted not the best sushi in the world but its okay for Santa Cruz. I always get the MacRandy roll, maybe its bomb because its fried and you can't mess up fried items right? But I like the rolls and the service is pretty good. At least every time I go I get my food quickly. However it seems like they despise large groups and paying separately so try to avoid that because you don't want Japanese women yielding sushi knives being mad at you. But they do this cool sake bomb thing which is like 1000 sake bombs all over the sushi bar and they give them out at certain times, I think weekends? Never seen it in person just youtube but I think that's pretty cool.
(3)
Jessica L.
My first time coming to this sushi restaurant was ok, but the service wasn't that great. I thought I would give It a second try so I came with my sister and her boyfriend who were regulars and thought maybe it would be different the second time. Nope, it actually was worse. Our server took forever to take our order, she forgot some food, and to top it off my sister found a hair rolled into her sushi. I thought they would remove her plate but all the server did was look at the sushi and said she would be right back. She brought her a new sushi but still hadn't removed the plate. Having to see a sushi with a hair in it and trying to eat the new roll I would say would take my appetite away. Gross.
(2)
Nima S.
This is the only restaurant where I felt so appalled at the service I didn't tip at all; on a $80 tab.
(1)
robin o.
The food was mediocre, at best. The service was atrocious. My party of 6 was asked to leave after we lingered for a few minutes after the bill (with 20% tip) was taken. We hadn't finished our sake and beer when the waitress approached and told us that she needed the table because people were waiting. This place would be out of business within 6months in a larger city. The gimmicky rolls are all flare and no substance.
(1)
Daniel J.
Mobo is sushi with style, you know. It's a nice blend of Japanese and American. It's got a huge menu selection. The sushi is right and the vibe in there is delicious. This is the only sushi place I have ever craved enough to go grab take out even when I only had about 20 dollars to my name. I miss college. Get the Mercedes Roll.
(4)
kristin e.
starved for sushi in sushi starved santa cruz, i went here last night and like Jennifer R.'s review below, i also noticed that a lot of rolls had macadamia nuts and cashews in them and i guess that deserves a star on its own (this is the first time i've encountered those nuts in sushi). the cashews offered a nice sweet unexpected crunch to the chewiness. tried the starstruck and special k rolls and they weren't too bad (and the rolls kept falling apart everytime i picked one up) but i wasn't super-wowed by it...in fact i think cheapo place Kitaro back in SF had better quality and flavor. their hamachi-kama (yellowtail collar) was pretty tender and a good size (also served on a bed of rice with a slight drizzle of teriyaki sauce) for the price, so that deserves a star. gets another point for friendly staff, another star for being open late (would've went over to masako's but they were closed at 9:30pm) and another star for having a full bar (a lot of sushi joints i've been to only serve beer and wine). ps: doesn't take amex
(3)
Liz N.
This is my all time favorite sushi place, their fish and sushi rolls are just awesome. I've tried some of their appetizers and have not been impressed, except for the "Quite a Pickle" which is a plate of Japanese pickled (and not) veggies. Their other appetizers weren't all that great. But their sushi is the best I've ever had and they have really good prices too.
(5)
QuestionmarkFace S.
It's soooo good! Best sushi in S.C. hands down. Full bar is always a good thing and check the lunch special.
(5)
James C.
I don't have high expectations because it is Santa Cruz but shit, mobo is still crappy. First time I went there I had the udon. I would have been better off if I had just bought dehydrated noodles from the market and added hot water, at least that way I know it's gonna be crappy and I won't feel guilty about spending 8 bucks that could have gone to 16 tacos from jack in the box, or towards a meal at China1 buffet. The second time I went there I had some sort of fish. All I really remember about it was that it tasted more like a Thai dish than japanese. I'm not saying that it was all that bad, but it's kinda like going to a chinese restaurant, ordering chow mein, but ending up with spaghetti. 3 stars just because I like looking at their fish tank
(3)
Renee N.
I must confess that I am allergic to shellfish, fish. That excludes me from a lot of food at any sushi joint, so I can't judge a place on the freshness or variety of marine life. That said, Thursday has sort of become Mobo night for us. I don't like eating inside (too noisy) so the patio is the place to be. We seem to get the same table (far from the deadly and unappetizing bug-zapper!) every time we go. The service can be pretty slow on a busy night (and even slow on not so busy nights!) so I may take to ordering two drinks at a time. Last night it took 15 minutes or so to get our Miso and Salads! When I did get my salad it barley had any dressing so I had to request more before digging in. The Gyozo at Mobo may be the best I've had. I love the slightly crispy flaky texture. I really enjoy the selection of vegetarian rolls at Mobo. I get the Lori Maki because it has a high 'surprise' factor. Sometimes I order it and its totally different from the last time I've ordered it! I don't know if someone gets my order wrong or if its the personality of whoever makes it, but its never disappointed. I love that they give me the option of tempura'ing any roll! And the tempura banana is quite good.
(3)
TW H.
Delicious tempura. You can order that with confidence! I've never had a bad meal here. Really starving? Try a bento box for a filling meal. The little salads are so tasty (cucumber, seaweed) and they have those cool heaters in the winter so you can sit outside. I don't drink Saki, but I've heard it's good. I love Mobo; fresh lovely and creative touches abound filling your mouth with lusciousness.
(5)
Dan Z.
I've had sushi at almost everyplace in town, and this is still my fav. The rolls are a good size and the selection is amazing, like 30 something rolls! The Nigiri is fresh and well cut. Never had bad service. I have heard they aren't exactly authentic but the name of the place is Mobo, it's explained in the menu, an old term meaning Modern Boys, hence, more modern sushi. It's worth a try if you love good sushi and are willing to break away for something alittle more fun.
(5)
Kiran D.
As a local, this place is way over priced, and over hyped. Its a tourist trap. You want good sushi, go to Naka sushi on 41st. Yes, at Mobo,the owner gives away a beer and saki shooter on Saturday nights, And for that your going to pay way too much every other night. Also, a friend was charged $20.00 for a meal that arrived full of tofu ( not mentioned on the menu and an allergy!) but the owner made them pay for it, after examining the menu and saying they would change that. Its just a rip off joint for the tourists, Santa Cruz has much better on offer!
(1)
Kelly M.
This place gets 2 stars because my friend was happy with his sushi meal. I did not like anything about my dinner. I ordered chicken teriyaki and vegetable tempura. The salad was nicely sized and tasted okay, but I've had better. The Miso soup was luke-warm, not hot, and tasted "funny" to me. I did not like the taste of the Teriyaki sauce on the chicken. I usually love vegetable tempura, especially sweet potato, of which I got several pieces. However, it had no taste. I can't explain why it wasn't good; I just know it's been better just about everywhere else I've had it. By the looks of my friend's sushi, I would have been unhappy with that as well because it was all wrapped in cucumber instead of seaweed. (He really liked it though). Portion size and service was good, but unfortunately, I did not like the food and would not go back.
(2)
Caroline M.
For Santa Cruz, Mobo has pretty good sushi. For the fish sushi, I'd give three stars, but I'll bump them up half a star because my boyfriend hates fish but will come to Mobo for their vegetarian sushi rolls -- lots of interesting choices for him! I'll also bump them up another half star because we walked in one Saturday night, and were greeted by rows and rows of beer in glasses with sake balanced on top. The bartender did an amazing trick where all the sake glasses tipped in like dominos, and we all got a free drink. Gimicky? Maybe. But also pretty awesome. :)
(4)
Kathleen S.
This place is probably one of my go-to sushi places (along with sushi Totoro) in the Santa Cruz area. First of all, who's down for free sake bombs on Friday nights?! I am!! They aren't horrible either which is nice!! Make sure to go around 8:30-8:45 PM when the sake bomb train starts! It makes a great video to show to your friends :) Anyways onto the food. I've gotten the Nor-Cal roll which is literally six or so pieces of California roll topped off with TONS of crunchy popcorn shrimp.. and I mean TONS. I don't really know who came up with this idea.. but you would really only get full off the crunchy stuff. Honestly, not my cup of tea. And especially for 13.95? Eh, I'll pass.. Last week I came here with two of my girlfriends and we split three rolls: the Salmon Baker (14.95), Crunchy Dragon (14.95) and the Landshark (7.95). Each roll had about 6-8 pieces and surprisingly, we were all somewhat satisfied after eating everything (maybe it was the sake bombs..). I have to admit though, I can't really think of a distinct taste for each one of the rolls except for the Salmon Baker, since that one was a baked roll with tons of cream cheese and salmon. A little too creamy for my taste, but it was filling. Overall, I would give this place three stars for overall quality of food. But one extra star for service; shout out to my girls Diana for being my server and Annie the hostess of the night :)
(4)
Christine J.
This place was fantastic!!! The sushi selection was huge; great quality; great service. The sake was fantastic. And to top it all, the bartender does a sake bomb domino act -- the result: sake bombs for everyone! Would definitely go back when in Santa Cruz.
(5)
Dani S.
Mobo, you never disappoint!! I am pregnant and still frequent Mobos for sushi, YES raw sushi, because I'm more the confident in their years and years of delivering great fresh fish in all their rolls! They have a nice LARGE menu full of options to deliver even the most finicky eater! Both hot, cold, fired, raw, vegetarian and allergy options on their menu. I definite local favorite! Don't miss out on Friday and Saturday sake bomb night after 8pm!! It's the bomb! (*pun intended*)
(5)
Samantha C.
Not good. way too pricy for the amount of sushi actually given. I would not come back
(1)
Amanda B.
Great sushi restraint ! Food served very fast. Must try the ginger tea, it's amazing.
(5)
Cris G.
Really good sushi for a bit of a price. I highly recommend the Landshark. They have a good looking sushi and beverage bar. It was good I really enjoyed it.
(3)
Adrienne L.
Pricey side for sushi place. 6-7$ basic roll, $20 bento Hot tea costs 1.50$!! Did not know the tea would not be free. Ridiculous. Do offer some interesting combos - they offer katsuo and Saba in rolls. They have miso mayo, cashews, coconut, macadamia nuts, etc. Also appears they have a fair amount of vegan options. (though why go to a sushi restaurant.) and kids options are also nice. Sushi rice and seaweed quality is not par. A bit chewy like a store bought seaweed. Although the rice differed on some of our rolls. Beamer roll (sub fresh sake)- good combo, somewhat like a "crazy roll" found at other places. Krazy Kat roll- good flavors with the ginger and green onion, spicy mayo has a notable kick Moon cruzer roll- fresh Hotate, very mild (fresh) slammin'- (sub fresh sake) like a 49er with cilantro. But still a refreshing combo of flavors. Chicken teriyaki was dry and the broccoli just boiled- def not worth getting. Service: had to ask for plates to eat our sushi, rice bowl was served crammed on the teriyaki plate, service is slow in general (rolls were not fast like other places), waitress wasn't always to be found, and they didn't always clear dishes.
(3)
Nicole B.
Okay sushi, not great. First time I came here I had the Kat in the Hat. That was the best thing out of anything I ordered. Katsuo fish wrapped around scallop with tobiko. Second time I came, I ordered the same thing. Something was tasting not so fresh, not sure if it was the katsuo or the scallop...needless to say I won't be ordering it again. Rolls are decent, nothing to write home about. One plus is the wasabi tastes fresher and spicier than anywhere else I've tried in town. Another plus is that they're open late. One pet peeve I have is seeing people who work in a restaurant smoking cigarettes. What they do in their personal time is their business, not mine. But walking up to the restaurant and seeing one of the waitresses sitting on the curb smoking in her uniform during open hours is a bit of a turnoff. If the restaurant is closed and you're not serving food anymore, that's a different story! Not entirely appetizing if you're the one who's going to be handling my food. But to give her the benefit of the doubt, maybe her shift was done for the night. Not such a horrible place that I'm saying I'll never return, but I'm definitely not going out of my way to go back in anytime soon.
(2)
Tim F.
Not the best sushi in the world, but the best in Santa Cruz. Stands out from the plethora of middling sushi in Santa Cruz because of it's freshness, veggie rolls (if that's your thing) and creativity. I've never really had to wait long, and they expanded a couple years back so there are even more seats now. The same waitresses have been working here as long as I can remember and I think that is usually a pretty good sign. I recommend the Valhalla and the Guido.
(4)
Ana M.
The fish is fresh, the roll selections are phenomenal and the service is descent. They also have the best seaweed salad! I definitely recommend this place! Oh and the outdoor seating is also very nice.
(4)
Kirsten P.
Mobo Sushi is my go-to spot in Santa Cruz for vegetarian or vegan sushi. While most places only offer the standard vegetable or avocado roll, Mobo has a whole list of creative vegetarian options to choose from.They use interesting flavor combinations and ingredients that I don't often often see in sushi. I tried the Emerald City, Iron Man, and Miami Roll. The Miami Roll was definitely the best. The acidity of the lemon goes perfectly with the tempura yam. My boyfriend and I fought over the last piece. The Iron Man was a little disappointing. I like the flavor of the beets, but the tofu did not have the smoky flavor that I was expecting. In all, the food was flavorful and the atmosphere was relaxing. Mobo only gets a star off for the very slow service. I came in the late afternoon on a Saturday and the restaurant was mostly empty. We were quick to be seated and had our order taken, but the food took forever to get to us. We had to ask another waitress to check on our order. Come here if you want delicious vegetarian or vegan sushi, but plan for a long wait for your order.
(4)
Mugui G.
They sure know how to put on a show here. Get a booth adjacent to the "arena" area if you can. I enjoyed it a lot. I've sat at the "regular" area and had a very pleasant experience there as well. Definetely a fun place to go to.
(4)
Peggy S.
Every time I've been here is out of desperation... The most recent one was due to being way too cold from going to the Boardwalk and needing a hot bowl of noodle at 9:30 p.m. to warm up before heading home to pass out from a day of wine tasting. We walked in at 9:20, the place had us, one other table, and a few people at the sushi bar. We were given two menus and the waiting game began. Didn't get our orders and didn't get any water. Had to ask twice for water. Seemed like they were more interested in serving the table that came in 5 minutes after us. Matt B. and I both ordered Nabeyaki udon, and it was not on the cheap side given the quality of the mushy noodles and hard, grilled beef that were sliced into strips and dumped into the soup. The soup base was way too salty, but the good thing was they gave us enough veggies to make me content. And of course it took us a while to pay and leave... if I must come back again, I will probably need a very desperate reason.
(2)
Lisa N.
I would say that Mobo's is definitely on my list of top Sushi places in Santa Cruz! The fish is so fresh and they have a pretty large selection of rolls. The servings are decently sized and price is usual for sushi. I have had a really great experience with the service here. The servers have always been very friendly and helpful with the menu. I would definitely recommend trying the food!
(5)
Kailey M.
I came here not too long ago and spoiled myself with the chef choice rainbow roll. I was very impressed with the variety of fish and the presentation was very impressive too. They actually bring out the sushi roll looking like a dragon! Will absolutely be returning for more! :) Not to mention our server was very charming.
(4)
Jayne M.
Outstanding sushi restaurant near Trader Joe's in Santa Cruz. Original, innovative and entertaining menu. Attentive but non-intrusive service. Exceptional high-quality food. We ate on the patio in back today and found it to be peaceful and private. Recommended.
(5)
Annie T.
Santa Cruz doesn't have great Asian food, besides Thai. Sushi here is both mediocre and expensive. The only perk Mobo has is that every Friday and Saturday, there is a huge sake bomb fest with one of the owners of the restaurant. Unfortunately for me, I went when he was out of town. Moving onto the food, as a lover of sushi, I was definitely not impressed by the quality. There are some "specialty rolls," that are definitely different than what you would normally find - more fusion style. But they're expensive. The quality is not of very high either, but it does satisfy your cravings. The decorating is alright. Its pretty simple and inviting. I went for dinner and the lighting was a little dimmer. There are two rooms in which you may be seated in, plus sushi bar seating, so as you can imagine, the place is quite large. Staff is super friendly, and I'm assuming so is the owner if he does sake bombs every Friday and Saturday! What is nice about this sushi restaurant, compared to the other closer ones (I Love Sushi or Shogun) is that there is plenty of parking. It's off the main street (Pacific) and shares it's parking lot with two supermarkets - CVS and Whole Foods. Parking here is both free and never full! Probably won't be returning for the food, but definitely want to see this huge sake bomb fiesta!
(3)
Shane M.
Visited this place for the first time today after seeing many positive reviews. I ordered a lunch special chicken teriyaki bento box and my girlfriend and I split a big Mac roll. The bento box consisted of a hastily thrown together pile of lettuce with minimal dressing and a small clump of veggies on top, chicken teriyaki that was okay at best, piled next to soggy carrots and broccoli Also included were some plain cifornia rolls that lacked flavor and freshness. The steamed rice was probably theost enjoyable part of the box. The big Mac roll tasted like a mushy clump of cheese and rice with a crisp, salty, deep fried seaweed wrap. I didnt eat more than one. Overall I will not be going back.
(1)
Jeremiah S.
Soo- tonight I was walking through pacific garden mall finishing up on some last minute Christmas shopping,I needed a quick bite to help me push through the crowds of down town,an I thought sushi!!! I had been to mobo before but all my experiences combine didn't compare to the one I had tonight!! I walked in an right away was lead to a seat on their sushi bar,only a foot an a half away from the men that were crafting the fish an rice rolls that we all love soo much,a young girl named Vera approached me with a beautiful smile an brought me a glass of much needed water upon my request,soon after I ordered a wonderful plate of lightly grilled tuna topped with fresh veggies green onion and pickled ginger,all of witch were placed on a bed of perfectly cooked white rice-the food came out within 10-15 minutes of witch i was warned,do to the completely packed restaurant!! Over all I my experience was magnificent,other than the few paper towels I stepped on in the restroom!! THANK YOU MOBO!!
(4)
Prime O.
The sushi is fresh and the staff is very attentive and friendly. I typically sit at the bar and hope that Jason is working, as he is my favorite sushi chef here. I give him 5 stars for his service & sushi creation. The atmosphere is fun, and if you like sushi for lunch, their lunch specials are well priced for the food you get.
(3)
Margo L.
My boyfriend and I ate here. The staff was decent at their service. I had the bento box and he had the sushi roll combo b. We both thought it wasn't the best, the fish wasn't the freshest and we both felt sick after. He had eaten here once before and said it was decent, but not sure how it has gone down hill now. We will not be back after the experience today.
(1)
Sherri C.
Mobo Sushi is a popular place in Santa Cruz, just off of the main downtown streets in a shopping plaza that also houses Trader Joe's. The fish has always been fresh and delicious. Many sushi restaurants overdo the rolls, but Mobo has a good balance of ingredients and presentation. I'm encouraged to try new items here, where other places make the same rolls over and over again with the same special "house" sauce or by tweaking one ingredient (that one has avocado, this one does not -- but the rest of the 10 gazillion ingredients in the rolls are the same). Mobo's selection is creative and large, not only for fish-lovers but also for vegetarians! And if you go on Friday or Saturday night, you might catch the cool falling domino sake bombs that the owner sets up for his customers. Bring your ID with you so you can pick up a complimentary beer after the presentation.
(4)
Katrina T.
Hmmmn this place is like half good half not. I got mixed feelings about this place. Mobo Sushi also reminded me of a hippie-sushi-spot. Went with my little bro and we got the Pink Caddy, the NorCal, the Scooter Roll and the Flying Tiger. The Pink Caddy was actually the one I liked the most. The raw fish was really fresh and glazed with their sauce. The NorCal was the one that was ehh... I really liked the fried shrimp, but the shrimp they used was the frozen kind. The actual dish itself is worth trying because the portion is a lot. The Scooter Roll was sort of small, but I liked the soft shell crab. The Flying Tiger was unique because it had a lemon-y taste to it. The restaurant offers tons of variety in their menu. They have cool names for their sushi rolls even calling them car names! The prices are decent and much cheaper than other sushi restaurants. However the quality, is just alright.
(3)
L M.
I hate cream cheese in sushi... Or at least I used to. The Death Star, eat it, love it. If you go anywhere else for sushi in SC you're fooling yourself. Although it does get very crowded.
(4)
Prakruti N.
I love this place! I came here with a few friends to check this place out and I was very pleasantly surprised by the amount and variety of the vegetarian rolls this restaurant presented. The service was fine and there was a spacious seating area. My friend (who is also vegetarian) and I ordered four rolls in total: Guido, Crop Burning, the Miami Roll, and Iron Man. Of those, my personal favorites were the Guido (which is AMAZING) and the Miami roll. I am definitely coming back here whenever I am in the Santa Cruz area again. I highly recommend that vegetarians looking for awesome sushi places check this out!
(5)
Diem T.
This is my favorite sushi place in Santa Cruz! Spicy Big Mac roll: it is deep fried with spicy tuna and sourcream with sauce on top yummm and roe on top! It is my favorite roll! :) The norcal roll" They give you so much popcorn shrimp on top! yummmm with a california roll on the bottom. Scallop roll : Is really good too! The first time I had their fried jalepeno with cream cheese and salmon was sooo good but the last time i ordered it their jalepeno wasn't cooked all the way like it should have been.
(4)
Mac P.
Checked out Mobo last night. I sat at the bar, I thought the food was okay and the chef that served me was pretty cool. I wasn't terribly hungry I was just in the mood for Sushi so I didn't order a whole lot so when the bill came I noticed that I was over charged by $11. The waitress then tried to tell me that it was sales tax. I explained to her that I did account for sales tax by adding 10% which last time I checked the sales tax rate in Santa Cruz was 8.75% but I wanted to round up. After going over the bill she went back and corrected the mistake and apologized & she told me that she accidentally gave me someone else's bill. I thought to myself, "Wow, someone else here ordered exactly what I did, what a coincidence????" LOL!!! Now I do not mean to imply that Mobo is overcharging people on purpose, could be a simple mistake it happens but it appears that other Yelpers have had this same experience here. My overall conclusion is the food & the service is okay just be mindful of what you are being charged.
(3)
Nate C.
Delicious, fresh fairly priced sushi and drinks. The atmosphere is mellow during the week with a more festive weekend crowd! Sake bombs on Friday and Saturday nights for the price of 1 cent at 830. The fish is fresh and well proportioned. The Miso is perfect temperature and taste, and the house sake is a nice flavor on the side. Come check it out!
(5)
Mike B.
I like this place for a lot of reasons, one is the sake bombs on Friday and Saturday nights. They literally cover the bar with 100 sake bombs in a domino effect and everyone over 21 gets to drink one! They food is pretty good and it's good for groups. 4 stars instead of 5 cuz it's kinda noisy.
(4)
Niccolina R.
I don't get to see my best friend and her boyfriend often and she swore that this place is the best. My boyfriend and I arrived early and we realized there was something very off about the waitress. She forgot our drinks and it was noticeably busy so I let it go. Not a big deal. Then my bff and her bf arrived. The waitress came back around to get drink orders and then literally forgot about us. We had to go get her and tell her we needed silverware. My food was cold and it became blatantly obvious she was wasted. My bff's bf kindly asked the manager for a new waitress. The manager is sooo incredibly nice. He was so attentive and understanding. He got us a uber nice waitress and all the issues prior melted away. The night was winding down and we got some to go boxes. My boyfriend and I were waiting for our friends to come outside and all of a sudden that drunk waitress starts screaming,"d*** head!" over and over again like a psycho. I was so appalled. Why would she do that? My friend and her boyfriend went back in trying to talk to the manager and no one would help them. Not to mention, that waitress was screaming at the top of her lungs. The manager had apparently went home but everyone left in charge acted like they couldn't help them. It was like pulling teeth trying to get help. Then the head sushi chef felt bad and kindly refunded their money. I feel really bad for the manager because he is super sweet and accommodating and for that waitress to represent him like that is just a shame. If you do decide to go, ask for another waitress if you get a woman with short blonde hair that resembles a dude. I've worked in the food service industry for the past 10 years. If a customer is unhappy, you do whatever it takes to make it better. Period. End of story. People left in charge when the manager is out should be able to handle these type of situations instead they all looked dumbfounded. I'm just appalled and kind of sad cuz it wasn't a bad sushi place.
(1)
Felicia M.
This review is based on only having lunch here several times. We usually sit at the bar, but have also sat at a table. Service is the same, quick enough to get us in and out in a half hour or so. The lunch specials can't be beat, IMO. Whether you get the bento box special or the sushi special, the price is less than $10 each, and you get plenty of very good, fresh food in each of them. We've eaten sushi in plenty of places around the country, and Mobo is right on par with the ones we would keep going back to. Nothing is as good as, say, sushi in Hawaii, but this place is a very good value for getting your sushi fix at lunch.
(5)
Christian D.
This place rocks, the bartender did a domino set of 50 sake bombs and gave away each 1 to everyone old enough to drink. Fun atmosphereThe house rolls were great, if I were a Santa Cruz local I'd definitely come here more often.
(5)
Christine L.
This is, hands down, my favorite sushi spot in the Cruz! I'm so tired of everyone raving over I Love Sushi when let's be real, that place is mediocre AT BEST. If you're lookin for something better... look no further! I think it's a little bit more pricy but totes worth it. You get what you pay for. Funny story: I came here two nights before my 21st birthday...unknowingly the same night they were having free sake bombs. I got denied the free bomb so it's good (bad) to know they play by the rules .....right?
(5)
Courtney G.
I am a sushi snob and I always love Mobo. I love the guido and I love my tobiko nigiri style. This is the first place I ever sunk my two little front teeth into a piece of raw fish as a child and I still come back. It's also my dad's favorite sushi spot in town and I have to honor it because he did live in Japan for three years. The only reason they didn't get a 5/5 is because they don't offer the medium sized tobiko. Here they use the teeney-tiny fish roe which just don't have the same sweet taste and texture and no I am not talking about the salmon row (yuck). I hope they consider carrying it, I can't remember if they ever did. hmph? Well, all in all I think they are fresh and delicious and just about the the best sushi spot in town. signed, Picky sushi snob, muah!
(4)
Emma M.
Great Sushi! Also great amount per serving!
(5)
Daniel S.
Why am I surprised to find such great sushi in Santa Cruz? Probably because Santa Cruz is a looong way away from San Francisco when it comes to culture, generally, and cuisine, specifically. That being said, Mobo is a special place. It's totally laid back and friendly, as you would expect, but the sushi is top notch and quite interesting. We especially enjoyed the Flying Tiger Roll (tempura black tiger shrimp, kamaboko, lemon, negi, avocado, miso mayo), the Miami Roll (tempura yam, avocado, negi, lemon, miso mayo) and the Special K Roll (unagi, smoked sake, lime, cashews, cream cheese). We can't wait to go back!
(4)
Judith L.
My person and I were craving for sushi on a lazy Sunday afternoon and were thinking of Shogun. However they were closed that day and so we were forced to ask Yelp to see where else we could go to satisfy our crave. We saw Mobo and agreed to give it a shot even though we've never of it before being that Santa Cruz is so small. Long story short: - Ehhh service - Ordinary, ordinary, very ordinary sushi - Pricy So...no thanks. Why Mobo when there's Shogun and I Love Sushi?
(2)
Irina Z.
Came in randomly craving some good sushi. Lucky for us we stumbled upon their lunch special ($10 for 3 rolls and a miso soup). Chefs were great and super quick, waitress was friendly and prompt. And the place is definitely up to par and really cute.
(5)
Courtney R.
Cool spot but can be a little under staffed. This place seems to always be busy so one would think they would hire more sushi chefs for their busy nights but over all it's a cool experience and if you come at the right time you can get a free saki bomb:) The fish seems pretty fresh and they have creative rolls but this place can get really loud and worse at the end of the night as people have had more drinks.
(3)
Chunti L.
They get creative with the rolls but the fish wasn't top notch. The yellowtail was a bit off with a very strong fishy taste. Seaweed salad was good but way overpriced for the small amount provided. Staff were nice (the waitresses) but the sushi chefs were very aloof and unfriendly. Maybe that's a Santa Cruz thing-I've always found the sushi scene in SC to be different from anywhere else. You sit at the bar but a surfer girl comes and takes your order, it makes no sense.....
(2)
Lyna K.
This is American sushi. They are known for their specialty rolls, aka super big and heavy (mayo, tempura etc...). Definitely more of a sushi place for noobs IMO. I found the prices high for nigiri about $5.50 on up. Also the Guy Fieri look alike behind the sushi bar didn't help with the feel of a sushi spot. Sorry.
(2)
Derek D.
As far as sushi goes in Santa Cruz, this is one of the better places. Go on Friday or Saturday night at 8pm for the domino saki bomb show.
(4)
Notta S.
Highly variable and mediocre at best. We have dined in once and gotten take-out about six times. Each time I think to myself, maybe it will be better next time... Communication while ordering is not great, and our order has come back wrong several times. Worse, the sushi rolls are crammed full of flavorless rice. After the last set of clown rolls we received (see photo), I think I've finally given up. Safeway sushi is probably a safer bet. Nice fish tank, though.
(2)
Jennifer B.
Mobo Sushi is my go to Sushi restaurant. Very consistent and reasonably priced for quality food. Service is good and great for big groups. Outside seating with heating. Kid friendly and great date place. I've been coming here way before the awesome free sake bombs and now that just tops the charts! The owner is always there and the staff is reasonably friendly.
(5)
Elisabeth C.
Okay, I have mixed feelings about Mobo. It's a large place, good location with good parking. The first time I came I sat inside in the evening and it was so noisy and the service so slow that I wasn't sure I'd return. I had a bento box and there was way too much food for me to even consider eating! Lesson learned! The second time I came we sat outside in the very charming back area, surrounded by lovely plants and it was quiet and peaceful. Their tempura veges were good and plentiful, and the sushi was fresh, but too much rice in the rolls makes them clumsy and overwhelmed by rice! I have had better sushi but NOT in santa cruz. So all things considered, this will be my sushi restaurant of choice while I live here.
(4)
Nou V.
I went here a few months back. The hype here is the sake bombs on the weekend. Sushi isn't amazing and I always have difficult finding a roll or something to eat. The waitress was kind enough to suggest her favorites but I wasn't going for anything deep fried or have cream cheese. I like my rolls to be packed with fish. I did get a roll here a year ago and it was a special at the time; moreover, it was decent. Though if you are down for okay-ish sushi and want to get your drink on then go or try it out. I know my vegetarian friend loves their veggies rolls options.
(2)
Lorene C.
I think this is the best sushi in Santa Cruz. Although I will admit... I am one who isn't too adventurous in the seafood department and so I tend towards a more Americanized spin on sushi that isn't toooo fishy. Mobo allows me to take baby steps into the seafood world because it tastes so flippin good and not too fishy-ishy. Spicy Tuna rolls are bomb and the macadamia nut roll (it may be called the dark star?) is heaven and filling. The ginger is good and fresh. Did you know that if you eat a lot of ginger you can have hallucinogenic dreams!... mmmmm. Edamame is salted perfectly, goes swimmingly with the fresh large lemon chunk they give you, and the portion is generous. They aren't skimping here and the beans are luscious and green. Their water service is as good as it gets. I am a camel and drink water like it's going out of style and have never had to wait for a refill. I've been here 50 times and have always been impressed by their bussers/water dudes. If you sit at the bar you can watch the sushi makers do it right, and this is always hand and hand with a smile. And if you catch it at the end of the night, the music is also usually pretty good. This is one of those places I crave when I go down to Santa Cruz. Just listening to my body yo...
(5)
Ashley W.
This review is based of having dinner the once. The service was good, the food, not so good. The rice was coarse and chewy. We purchased 3 speciality rolls and all were below average at best mediocre. The roll themselves were $15 and were barely filled with anything. To any or to all who claim this place place to be the best sushi in town or their number one sushi spot, you guys don't know what you're missing or what a proper sushi place is like. Take a trip out to the Bay Area to see what you are missing.
(1)
Grace PyoungHwa L.
There aren't too many Japanese restaurants in Santa Cruz. I have tried Mobo several times and it isn't bad. It is a pretty generic japanese restaurant with rolls, bento boxes, udons, shioyaki's...etc. As a person who puts Japanese food as her top 3 favorite genres of foods, I would't say this place is extraordinary in any way. My dad, who is pretty knowledgeable when it comes to Japanese food, did not really enjoy this place. We are not sushi-drenched-in-sauce eaters. We are more into fresh sashimi and love the taste of fish itself. Mobo is definitely a place I would go when I have cravings for a bento box or a sushi roll, but if I'm looking for something more special, this is not the place I would go. Ultimately, I recommend Mobo if you are a roll-lover! They have many options that you can choose from, and their rolls are pretty appetizing. Hope you enjoyyyy~
(3)
Nicole M.
Love their selection of vegetarian rolls. Love their salad dressing as well. My only real qualm is that I am a picky dinner when it comes to courses. I like my salad/soup then my appetizer then my sushi. If I get them all at the same time I feel I am rushing to eat them all so they stay hot or cold as they were served. This happens all the time here but the food is so great I will always go back =)
(4)
Sarah Y.
My first thought when ordering from Mobo was that I could have sushi delivered to my house (via Doorbell Dining) when I didn't feel like going out to get it. In theory, awesome. In practice, eh... The tofu salad, which seems like it would be marvelous, is just chopped up tofu on a bed of lettuce with no seasoning. This was the most unimpressive part of my meal. I'm sorry, if I wanted to have plain, cold tofu for dinner, I could easily do that myself. The miso soup is very good. Aside from the flimsy container it came it, and quickly soaked through, I have no complaints about the miso. Then came the sushi rolls. They were very considerate about ensuring that no meat/fish products were included in my food, and they even added more veggies to compensate in the one roll that was supposed to have fish in it. However, the actual flavor of the rolls was off. There was some odd, almost grassy flavor in each roll that I could not identify. It was unpleasant and tainted the rolls potential for being flavorful and delicious. Overall, this experience, which seemed beyond awesome at face value, was disappointing. If you want good sushi in the Santa Cruz/Watsonville area, go to Sushi Garden. Mobo proves that other sushi joints are just a waste of time.
(2)
Doug B.
This is THE place to go if you are looking for vegetarian or vegan sushi rolls, the variety is astounding. Been going here once in a blue moon for over a decade, haven't ever had any real complaints, except of course parking due to the location. This place is worth a try.
(4)
Shawn G.
The hostess on the night of April 4th was hands down the rudest hostess I have ever encountered. She began by sitting me and my boyfriend at the absolute worst table in the nearly empty restaurant simply because it was the closest and then she ran off. I had to chase her down to get her to reseat us. She was horrible to us from then on out. The food was alright but overpriced. The service however was absolutely deplorable. I can promise we will not be returning and we will be encouraging our friends to do the same.
(1)
E M.
I'm giving Mobo 5 stars because the food was so generous and fresh AND we had it delivered. Never been to the restaurant. We rolled into town after dark, on the way from San Francisco, decided to stay at a motel and found a food-taxi service. It was a real chance to take but I ordered away. The big pickle plate was fantastic- a real surprise. We also ordered yellowtail sashimi- big, juicy pieces, very fresh and generous portion as well. The scallop roll we got was also wonderful. Everything we ordered was delicious and high-quality. I was so happy because they didn't have to do that. We were not sitting in their restaurant. They didn't even do the delivering. But they sent us fantastic, A+ food. Next time I'm in Santa Cruz, will visit the restaurant!
(5)
Ryan A.
We went into Mobo's on Saturday for an early dinner. We were sat right away and then our server came and got our drink order and also some apps. We then ordered the chef's choice sashimi, and a few other rolls. The fish was nice and fresh, and the service was good. We will come back here at some point when visiting my Mom in Santa Cruz.
(4)
Dick S.
Yelp has "Wohoo! As good as it gets!" written next to five stars. While this is definitely not true in the great Bay Area, I do think it is true for Santa Cruz. I have eaten at I Love Sushi, Sushi Totoro, Miyako in Capitola, Akira, and one or two more a long long time ago. Out of these, Mobo is easily the best. One might ask themselves, "Why?" Very simple. It is FRESH. The Hamachi Nigiri was so fresh and tender, it blew my mind. The Salmon seemed like it was just out of the water. The Sake came out too hot to even drink at first. Everything just seemed fresh, and with Sushi, that is what counts. The environment was pleasant, it is fairly big, but is broken into smaller rooms so it doesn't seem crowded or noisy, the service was good, and the bill was not awful for 2 people. I recommend it.
(5)
Mike J.
Stopped by here on a weeknight on during a business trip and ordered a couple rolls and an order of nigiri. im not a sushi snob but something tasted off about everything i had. the pieces are HUGE, it was almost a chore to eat them. the rice was overly salty and the fish just didnt taste right (i got one roll with salmon and another with tuna, pretty basic). i didnt care for the roll with macadamia nuts inside, but i suppose that was my fault for ordering it. and the salmon nigiri just didnt taste fresh. service was pleasant enough, and the restaurant itself is fine, but the food didnt do much for me.
(2)
Shawn O.
So good, better prices than the rest of SC sushi establishments. I'm not vegetarian but I LOVE their vegetarian rolls (nearly all under $5 and full of interesting ingredients). Another bonus: they are very flexible on changing ingredients if you want. Service is prompt and being a Monday the largest dining room was about half full. Two hours of free parking in the large lot (lots of signs warning to not go over the limit as they don't control the lot).
(5)
Tim K.
Mobo has fallen. Service and food continue to plummet. Went there for New Year's Eve with my family and it was empty. I guess I hadn't gotten the memo.
(2)
Melissa C.
Was sooo excited to finally try this sushi spot out today after a couple of months of wanting to. The waitress we had was thankfully very patient since we took awhile to order. The decor was decent, I liked that the backroom had a fishtank and that they also had what seemed to be a full sized bar. Shortly after being seated, I was disappointed to find out that we would not be getting any soup, salad or green tea for free. Not a huge deal just no pluses for them. I did however, need to have a green tea so I paid the 1.50, it was decent but not the best quality. Was kind of bummed when I saw that it came in a regular glass cup instead of a more authentic one, none-the-less just a regular tea cup. However these were not big enough deals to lower my expectations of the rolls to come! So we ended up ordering the Pineapple Express (the main reason I wanted to dine here), the Crabby Tom and the Pink Caddy. The sushi was decent, the flavors were good however not strong enough. When I stuff a sushi roll in my mouth I expect an explosion of flavors and I found the the rolls here were lacking that by a pretty good margin. I would have rather paid a few extra dollars for a bigger/more filling roll. EXCLUDING the Pineapple Express. Not only was that the most presentable roll but it was also the most delicious out of the three. Both the pineapple and the macadamia nuts had the perfect texture, I was a little worried the macadamia nuts might be a bit too crunchy or a bit overpowering but it wasn't at all. It had a very subtle taste and suited the dish beautifully. With all praises aside my friend and I found a hair inside the sushi, which for me was a pretty big turn off. Overall the experience was just okay. I wouldn't drive all the way out to Santa Cruz again just to eat there, MAYBE if I was already in the downtown area and had a craving for some pineapple goodness. But I think I'd rather try something else out, sorry!
(2)
Sierra G.
Mobo has a great selection of interesting rolls, including a whole page of options for vegetarians. I say A+ for innovation and executing on the tasty combinations. Start with a salad ...they have a miso dressing that is a tad sweet, but has a gingery twist. As far as dining downtown, this is a good option (not many options in my opinion)
(4)
Joyce C.
So even though I gave it three stars, I'm sure i'll continue to come to this place no matter what. My boyfriend went to college at UC Santa Cruz and Mobo's has been his god send sushi place since day one. We come at least twice a year and every time has been a great experience. Except recently the food has been a bit disappointing. Our last time here, it seems as though they're packing in more rice on the rolls than the sushi that's supposed to be inside of it. The staff is very kind, I just thought it was time to comment on the rolls in hopes that management sees this. Please stop jipping me out of your delicious fillings! Too much rice makes for an underwhelming sushi experience.
(3)
Bro H.
Mobo has been my long time favorite sushi place in Santa Cruz... However they have been slipping little by little....the food has been good and typically consistent quality but the service has started to become that of the "soup nazi" from senfield. There are several waiters that have been there for a long time and seems they have gotten too cozy with their routine that they have possibly forgotten the basics of what it takes to keep their customers satisfied. I don't know what it is but there's not much positive happy attitude seems to rub off from their service. The last time we went not long ago it was a DEAD night hardly anyone there and the waiter hardly checked up on us. What was she doing??? After waiting close to 15 minuets with all of our food being done I got fed up went to The front desk and told them I want to pay my bill. The lady at the desk said "who's your waiter?" I go "I don't know she didn't give me her name"... Then she just walks off and I'm like okay I'm about to just leave... Starting to get pissed! This is where simple communications come into play. How huge of a difference it makes with a simple "one moment, let me go get her for you" or "I'm sorry, let me find your bill" something that indicates that they are going to go and help me... rather than just walking off... Wtf is that??? And that's the classic example of the type of service the wait staff has with their attitude issues and dysfunctional communicating skills. Simple communications can make the world of difference in a restaurant to the customer. It's not rocket science. This sushi place is not cheap and for the amount of money I'm dropping on this meal I would expect simple positive customer service at the least. Second big problem I've had with this place: when you call in a take out order they automatically put their own tip on the total amount... Now after two years of going into this place and paying for my take out and tipping them on top of it and then finding out several years later that they were already charging me tips on my take out the whole time..... I was beyond pissed!!! Why did this go on for sooooo long? One reason is they mention it very nonchalantly on their menu... And two.... This is the absolute main reason, when you call in a take out order for this place they do not give you a itemized receipt showing what you paid for, and if you request one they give you this chicken scratch receipt all jumbled in a list that really typically makes no sense anyways. I'm not a business genius but I would assume the customer by law has the right to get their itemized receipt showing exactly what they're paying for, for every purchase from any business whether it's a restaurant, shoe store, or Starbucks coffee etc... it's just how business standards are.... What kind of crap is that not giving your customers detailed receipts for what they're paying for... I seriously think they're breaking some rules here by not giving their customers itemized receipts for their order, you should not have to ask for one. That can only tell me that they are lazy and deceiving. And if your business owner thinking that I'm wrong for wanting my receipt with out a special request, you're absolutely nuts.
(2)
Meaghan C.
Delicious. Efficient. Fresh.
(5)
MAC Dre m.
Service was less than I wanted to experience... The food wasn't anything special either but I did like their outside patio area, that part made it worth the cost I suppose. I think I rather go to Shogun and deal with Pacific Ave traffic, which was the deterrent this visit here but I'll prob just make the drive next time.
(2)
Kristin S.
The highlight of coming here is the saturday night free Sake Bomb domino, which w was so unexpected. Walked in here with my friend on a sat night and we were surprised to see the entire bar lined up with beer glasses, totally thought there was some sort of drinking contest going on. soon we found out what the event was. after some fanfare of seeing the sake shots systematically fall into the beer, anyone over 21 can just go up with their ID and get a free sake bomb. Aside from the visual event, my review on the sushi is mixed. we got a couple of rolls, some good some just so so. I liked the calamari roll, the spicy scallop roll was way spicier than normal making it a little difficult to eat, the death star was an interesting combo of cream cheese and macadamia nuts, but the sunset maki was a disappointment on flavor. The waitress was really nice, she apologized, but It did take a long time to get our sushi. I'd put it down to it being pretty busy with all the people there for the free drinks.
(4)
Anna D.
For starters the reason I'm giving 2 stars instead of 1 is because I've really liked Mobo in the past. Enough to plan my birthday dinner to be there last night. That was a horrible idea, we got the worst service I've ever had. ANYWHERE. Origionally we told the hostess we were a group of six. About 5 mintues later I told her the other two people weren't able to make it so it will just be the 4 of us. She replied with they are working on the table and walked away, never changed 6 to 4 on their wait list. We then proceeded to watch them sit two tables of four (all of which showed up AFTER us). My fiance again mentioned to all 3 hostesses that we are a table of 4 not six. A few minutes later (it's already been over 30 minutes) a hostess says teh table is almost ready. About 10 minutes later she realizes the table she just offered us was for 6 so we had to wait another 15-20 minutes to finally get seated (my stupid stubborness for needing Mobo for my birthday). We already knew what we wanted but the waitress didn't show up for 10 minutes to take our order. We then waited ANOTHER 30 minutes for our food. During that time I went and found the owner to complain, he apologized and said he would check on it. Eventually we got our food (minus our fiancee's). His food didn't show up until everyone else was done eating. I told this again to the owner and how I normally really like the place. We finish eating and ask for the check. He never offered to comp anything or do anything to make it up to us. Needless to say, we left no tip at all and will never be back. Well maybe I'll try to slip in for a free sake bomb one friday or saturday night but they will never get a penny from me. *jk*
(2)
Britney L.
Meh, not a huge fan. I suggest getting the Nor Cal and Pink Caddy. They were decent but the best of the four that we ordered. The Nor Cal roll is piled with fried shrimp which makes the roll more unique. I liked the idea, but it could have been better. I liked the flavor of the Pink Caddy the most. I think I ate the most of this roll. It had unagi with a mix of different sashimi. Yums! I really really don't suggest getting the Salmon Baker. I thought it was like a Lion King roll but I was wrong. There is tons of cream cheese in the roll and it was too overpowering! It was basically the only thing I could taste. It made the roll too creamy. I was definitely skeptical about this place when I saw the lack of Japanese sushi chefs. Usually this means more Americanized sushi and not as tasty. Sure enough, the sushi here is just okay. Their specialty rolls aren't the best and more simple than I hoped for. I didn't have a favorite since they are all just alright. The only good thing about Mobo is that it has cheaper rolls than most Japanese restaurants in Santa Cruz.
(2)
Cindy M.
Ok, before you read my review I just want to say that this is written BEFORE I actually eat the food--really weird...I know--but I wanted to warn college students/people with no car/people who wants delivery before they attempt to order food from here. So Mobo Sushi doesn't actually deliver, they go through a delivery company called "Doorbelldining" (Here's their website: doorbelldining.com ). So you would order your food through Doorbelldining (831-373-3333 is their phone number) and then the process begins where they place the order with the restaurant--in this case, Mobo--then they would drive to there to pick up the food, and then drive the food to where you live. Living on campus I would end up paying 7.99 for delivery fees, plus the overall sales tax, and the food I ordered. Doorbelldining also has a rule where if your order is over 50 dollars you have to tip a minimum of 15%, and if the total is under you have to tip a minimum of $5...so if you're a broke person, just the delivery alone is roughly ~$5-14, depending on your actual order of course (but let's face it...sushi isn't cheap, especially if you buy two rolls each...~ah ha). So once the sushi actually gets here, I will review the food...but for now this was a caution review about the delivery process you have to go through.
(3)
Wayne K.
Overrated. I want to say better things but the owner didn't care to listen to my fellow Asian "Big City" suggestions. Service and staff are Awesome, Food (unless you're vegetarian/vegan) is a solid 3 out of a 10. Parking in that lot is lethal, SO do not even think of leaving your car there for over 2-3 hours unless your idea of a "great evening" involves a $400 tow charge like I experienced.
(2)
Maggie B.
The sushi was average. But the service was slow. And the waitress wasn't polite. It was impossible to get her attention. And the menu didn't have the words salmon, tuna, or eel on it anywhere. Just the Japanese names. Kind of annoying. No pictures of the items either. And the waitress got offended when I asked which roles had salmon, tuna or eel in them. It's not my fault the menu was in Japanese and I'm an American. So memorize your Japanese before you go. And don't be in a hurry.
(2)
Michael C.
My fav sushi joint in SC. Never a wait, fast service, full bar and great creative rolls. Close to downtown, it's great for a pop in when your running errands or shopping.
(5)
Joshua F.
Shocked at the decline. I've gone to Mobo dozens of times over last decade, but tonight was the last. 2nd to worst part: Was served barely edible, anemic, dried out "fresh" salmon. On arrival, told the waitress the salmon looked kind of odd -- she said, "oh, that's what we got from our supplier, but we're going to change." Ate a piece, got someone else @ my table to try one - both agreed it was bad. Complained. Worst part: Waitress brought over manager, said name is "Jun" -- started off confrontational -- like we'd done something wrong... "Well, if you hadn't eaten half of it, maybe I could do something..." Customer is always right????? Not here... Please don't go here. There are tons of great restaurants in the area that actually want your business, including several just around the corner or down the street.
(1)
Christine-Sara B.
Wow, just wow!! I will never eat here again! The owner admitted to freezing their sushi for three days before serving, who does this? When complained about the fact that the fish didn't taste right they just got defensive and yelled and screamed. There are WAY better sushi restaurants to eat at go there, heck cross the parking lot and go to Trader Joes and grab one of their pre-made sushi trays in the refrigerator department, it will be fresher, better quality and at least edible!
(1)
Cindy H.
Went today, got horrible service from an unfriendly waitress. She took a very long time to get our order and even longer to bring our food. the restaurant was NOT crowded, so no good reason for the bad service. Then she had the nerve to add on an 18% gratuity for a party of 5!!! Unbelievable. I was there with a friend and our teenage (well behaved) kids. She will most likely not return. It was her first visit. When I spoke to the manager, he was equally rude and uncaring.
(1)
Mo E.
See my comment under "tips"...it includes customer service, enough staff and a more mindful owner...
(1)
Juno C.
i always come for lunch and it never disappoints, everything is really fresh! they also have great specials for lunch!
(4)
Andrew L.
The sushis alright slightly overpriced but really the service sucks. It took at least a good 45 mins to bring out two rolls. That's kind of ridiculous
(1)
Christine T.
Large noisy space, with large center sushi bar. The service here is so awful that unless I can sit at the bar I don't spend my money here. A few nice entrees- and large crowd of mostly college aged drinking subpar box sake. Nice if you seek out that vibe.
(2)
Corina S.
If you are vegetarian or vegan this is definitely the sushi place to go to! The veggie rolls are crazy delicious and unique. Also, they average at about $6 a roll!!
(5)
Nea B.
Love the outdoor seating, especially in the summer when the Wisteria is blooming. Great outside atmosphere; inside's too crowded unless you can snag booth, or a spot around the side next to the giant tank. Which, is weird if you think about dinner while you're staring at the fish tank...unless that's you're thing. Some of the rolls are fantastic - The Beamer, Emerald City, Crop Burning (?) all wonderfully paired with unique additives. Many have flavors that just don't 'jive' with me, and leave me wanting...well, something tossed into the mix. Still, the food always tastes fresh and I've never had a "bad" roll. They're also really accommodating for requests (I wanted a chunk of lemon to mix into my wasabi, not lemon slices like they have in water. I guess I wasn't clear when I ordered, and had to ask for a wedge after the server brought the thin deals. She was super nice though, and we got it straighted out with plenty of lemon to go around). The biggest plus for me is the service - prompt, efficient, and they're unobtrusive! Too many places pester you, or leave you waiting. Like magic, the servers come over at just the right times and never take too long with food/checking in/bill etc. Nice local sushi place, perfect for relaxed dinners & more romantic occasions.
(4)
Lauren S.
Really overrated place. It feels like fast food sushi. I don't know how to explain it. I've been here over 40 times in the past few years, and I really can never say I've enjoyed myself. Still, people insist on having thier birthday parties here. Maybe its cause they're super lax on ID's. (wink wink) The service is aloof, and ALWAYS seems eager to get off work. Impossible to find parking, and usually packed full of drunk underage partiers who stiff their waiters and end up causing a chain reaction of negativity all around. Also, there's something about the huge fish tanks lining the wall thats really a turn off when you're eating raw fish. It'd be like sitting in a booth next to a stable full of cows at Cattleman's restaurant. Just not appetizing. The best sushi in town is Shogun (downtown) or Totoro on the Westside.
(3)
Jane N.
A bunch of us met up with some local friends to have sushi after an afternono of surfing. Originally we were going to another place that was supposedly the best sushi around (forgot the name sorry!!) but it was closed on Sundays. Having the slight panic of "oh no now what" in our mind, we decided to come to this place, and I was happily surprised. This is definitely not authentic Japanese food, but I think that's besides the point. I think if you want that you pretty much have to go to tiny places with chefs that speak mostly Japanese to regulars (see my Lakuni review!) If you're going to run a big Japanese sushi place, might as well have some variety then! The menu was very creatively impressive, and I like that. I actually tried pretty new rolls with ingredients I have never even heard of, like Shizo leaf. They handily provide a glossary in the back, and I thought I know my Japanese food terms. I like the funny names too, Shizo Fine. heh heh. Great creative sushi for the unique variety. Almost one full page of vegetarian sushi, which is impressive (though I always wonder why bother in the first place).
(4)
Adam B.
This is the best. Not to mention the best lunch special in Santa Cruz. You get this huge box of food (salad, rice, chicken, rolls, soup, etc..) for under 9 bux. The service has always been fast. The waitress always seems to have a smile. The Guido (spelling...?) roll is a vegetarian roll with garlic and has to be the best. The homemade miso dressing is one of the main reasons i come here. They have a nice outdoor patio which is private. I am a local for 30 years and make it a point to come at least 2-3 times a month.
(5)
Rita M.
This is my absolute favorite "I feel like splurging" sushi place. My boyfriend and I will split a banana slug (their artistic dragon-like $35 double rainbow roll) and a pink caddy roll and spend a full $50 on the meal, but it's sooo amazingly awesome. You don't have to spend that much; others who sit with us frequently get away with a meal for less than $15, including tax and tip - and I have too, when I go in for a meal without my boyfriend - but the banana slug is my favorite thing to do. I've heard someone mention they found the sushi rice dry if you show up in the first hour after they open for dinner; they apparently pre-make it during the after-lunch closure... but given that I eat a bit later, it's not something that I've ever noticed. Also... their tempura? Very generously proportioned. No 3 pieces "that's my tempura order?" here. It's an appetizer for 5 people.
(5)
Laura R.
I have to admit that I'm of mixed feelings about Mobo. My inaugural sushi experience was had there, and it was pretty bad. (Tiny bones in the unagi that I let my then-boyfriend order for me. Urgh.) But the other day I went back to visit, and decided that I should try them again now that I know for certain that I really, really need to stick to vegetarian rolls. (I'm not, for the record, vegetarian at all. I just don't much care for seafood.) Lunchtime at Mobo is great. Their daily lunch special is a huge bento for about $9 - miso soup, cucumber pickle salad, green salad, steamed veggies with dressing, plus your choice of teriyaki and either a California roll or their really yummy Arbor roll. It's a LOT of food! We got a veggie tempura appetizer on top of that, and we both had to get take home boxes. Overall, the food was actually really good, and I'd forgotten how much I like the arbor rolls. Yummy teriyaki beef, and the tempura was really good too. So my assessment is that I really can't give one in terms of fish, but everything *else* in the lunch bento is awesome.
(4)
Stephanie M.
My favorite sushi restaurant ever! It was actually the first sushi restaurant I had ever been to. It's a good place for first timers because of its diverse selection of rolls. You will find every thing from the traditional to super funky rolls with cooked fish and veggies. My favorites are the Corruptor and Shizo Fine. Yum! As good as the sushi is, remember to leave room for desert. They serve fried bananas with green tea and mango ice cream that are awesome. Fried bananas just aren't as good at other sushi restaurants. Don't be scared off by the menu prices. If you split some rolls with a friend or two, it's not that expensive and you still walk out super full. I used to do it at least once a month on a college student's budget. Definitely worth a try.
(5)
Heather D.
**2.5** Mobo is a Santa Cruz classic. Unfortunately they had their day - like 10 years ago. They still do a decent presentation and have an eclectic vegetarian menu, but they've disappointed me several times recently. The chef's choice option was $25 and looked pretty, but the fish gave off a not-so-fresh feeling - yikes. The udon with chicken was all right but they use thigh meat which I don't like. The service has room for improvement as well. It saddens me to only give them 2 stars, but a yelper has to call it like they see it. I recommend Mobo for vegetarians, not fishitarians.
(2)
Rala S.
I'm not a big sushi person. In fact, I don't usually want to go to sushi at all. But I'll eat veggie sushi - and this is the place for creative veggie rolls! I'm never let down, and am always completely satisfied. I especially like the guido roll and their side salad comes with the most amazing miso dressing I've ever had. Not to be missed! Also good to know: my fish-loving friends like it too! Try the corrupter but be ready for innovative sushi. The currupter is no california roll.
(4)
C C.
Not the cheapest sushi in town, but the best rolls hands down. Really fresh fish and generous rolls. Yummy miso dressing for the salad too. Fave rolls: Miami (fried yam), scooter, beamer, crop burning, and snow crab maki. The bento boxes are good but pricey. And they carry Marianne's ice cream (green tea and mango).
(4)
Jim R.
I have been coming here for 5 years, they got me into sushi. However with service this bad it doesn't matter how the food tastes. We came in and sat there for about 15 minutes before any attention was paid. We finally got to order and then sat through an attention free 20 minutes with not even a drink showing up. Eventually we got drinks and so on. You get the picture, it continued the whole meal. We got our food l, most of it. I dont think we will be coming back.
(1)
Susan B.
The food was average. The service was very slow. The wait staff were rude. I would not return there.
(1)
D Y.
the rolls were ok. we tried the death star too, but it wasn't for me. the service is below par. they only came around to refill drinks only when we asked. other times various servers would walk around looking at the glasses, but chose to do nothing about our glasses even though most of our glasses were less than 1/2 full.
(3)
liz c.
This would be the best place to come to if you think you know everything about sushi because I'm pretty sure this place will prove you wrong. I wouldn't get fancy and experiment, just stick to what you know if you want to be happy. Otherwise, you will definitely be like me, looking longingly at everyone else's food as you poke at your rice speckled with unidentifiable spices. Their rolls and combinations are WEIRD. I had some spices I have never had in sushi...and that was because I tried to be ambitious with the experimentation. I'm telling you, don't do it. Service is alright, fish is good and at least tastes fresh (it's right next to the ocean so I don't know how they can go wrong...). Really, don't try the weird rolls like the Guido roll. Eat what you know! :)
(3)
Sharon G.
I'm giving Mobo 5 stars because it's the largest selection of vegetarian sushi I've ever experienced. The best is the Guido Roll (basil, cream cheese, macadamia nuts, garlic, and maybe something else I can't remember). Really good inari and they have veggie miso soup if you ask for it. One thing-- once, the macadamia nuts seriously were the texture of rocks-- hurting my teeth and shit. When we told the owner, she was like, oh, we special order our macadamia nuts every week and they're so fresh and I'm sure that didn't really happen......... So that was bullshit, but it certainly doesn't stop me from going there. I haven't found anywhere with as extensive a selection of veggie sushi and a "make your own" that's great, too.
(5)
Patrick C.
Skillful chefs! We always order this Sashimi plate that feeds 2 people. It has a great collection of sashimi, and some sushi and rolls too. went there a few times for birthdays. with some hot sake and miso, i love it.
(4)
Emily L.
My husband and I have been dining at Mobo's for many years, and have a hard time finding better sushi (without paying exorbitant prices). We love the variety of rolls and find their fish to be some of the tastiest. Our favorites are the Special K and Tsunami nigiri. They have a great staff, and service is always quick. The only reason I don't give them 5 stars is because they often leave their doors open and they don't care that patrons stand right outside a smoke. Nothing is more disgusting than great food with the flavor of nasty cigarette smoke! (9/11/2012) Changing my review from 4 stars to 2 stars. The food is still excellent, but the environment and service has changed. Despite complaints, they continue to leave doors open and do not handle patrons who stand outside and smoke 2-3 feet from your table next to said doors. In addition, the last 4 out of 5 visits the wait staff has been unable to get our order correct. Not to sound racist or rude, but the problem seems to be not understanding English well. Most of the staff is willing to fix the problem, but with long delays in food service. Lastly, something about the layout makes the place extremely loud even when only 1/3-1/2 of the tables are full. And they cater to a lot of big parties and crowds, which is just another notch on the noise level. Not something they can help, the place is popular with great food. But perhaps it's time they consider a separate room for large parties like that? We still go -- for the FOOD -- but now we are much pickier about nights we go (slower/quieter) and ask to be seated as far as possible from doors, which doesn't always mean not smelling smoke throughout our delicious meal.
(2)
Sam R.
Great fresh sushi. Local hangout. Sushi chiefs know what they are doing. Best to sit at the sushi bar and get to know the chiefs. If not at the sushi bar then outside or near the fish tank. Seaweed salad and miso soup is good. It does get a bit crowded and busy, but what would one expect from a good sushi place.
(5)
David R.
Hands down best sushi in santa cruz! Everything is amazing!!
(5)
Joe H.
Worst service ever. It took 15 minutes for the staff to even acknowledge us and bring water, then 35 minutes to get some of our sushi. Three of the servers were sitting around doing nothing and could have helped us. In addition, one of the sushi chefs was eating with his hands in the food prep area.
(1)
Jonas D.
It's just not that good. They have more variety than Shogun, and the Tuna collar rice bowl is decent, as is the udon (not that great- but better than shogun's watery version). 2 and a half stars really, but some of there stuff is just bleh.
(2)
Linda C.
I heart Mobo sushi. I adore their hamachi kama, Ice Nine sushi, their lunch specials, lomi lomi salmon....gosh everything I've had here has been fabulous. I always get a cup of hot ginger tea, too, when I'm here. My favorite seats are the booths next to the sushi bar...the light is a bit bright above them, it can be a bit harsh, but it's fun to sit there and watch the sushi action happening.
(4)
Sabrina B.
Yummy Yummy. Great selection of rolls. If you're into crazy, saucy, crunchy, baked rolls this is the place. Fresh. And our server was lovely. A lot of rice of the rolls is my one complaint, but there is little to no vinegar in it which I like. I will return.
(5)
Glenn R.
Consistently the best sushi I have in the bay area. I've tried most of the sushi restaurant's in Santa Cruz and this one is the top. I love getting the banana slug or the tazuna. Yum!
(4)
Brian H.
Used to be my top choice for sushi in Santa Cruz, but has been edged out by Shogun. Still a great place though, with a very wide assortment of creative maki and fine quality nigiri. A little on the pricey side but not ridiculous. Very nice atmosphere. Shogun gets the nod because of the overall quality of the fish, presentation, and larger portions, but Mobo is still a solid choice for sushi in Santa Cruz. The udon and tempura are good too. Can't really recommend the teriyaki and other non-sushi menu items.
(4)
Ziru C.
I've come here twice and would again as the price is decent and the food good. The atmosphere is nice. I like the setting and decor. However, the place can get a bit cramped because of the way the tables are set up. The sushi menu is extensive and creative. Some of the rolls I like are: - Beamer - Holy Moly Maki - Mercedes Benz - Moon Cruzer - Pink Caddy An interesting roll was the Mad Dog roll. It was good. Just interesting. However, my friends and I agreed, both times I went there, that some of their sushi tastes like bacon. Updated 02/12/07: I just went here for my friend's 21st birthday. I got to try the Shoga My Heart and the Nabeyaki Udon. The Shoga My Heart was okay. The tuna looked like chicken and kind of tasted like fishy barbecued chicken. Not too bad, but nothing great/amazing. The Nabeyaki Udon wasn't really my taste. The soup was on the sweet side and the udon was rather soggy. I ordered a miso soup because I love the stuff. Here, it was not so good. The tofu was really plain. Usually the tofu I have in miso soup have a little of their natural sweetness to them which is a nice contrast to the savoriness of the soup. The soup itself was slightly sour. The tempura was really good. The ebi tempura is best when you first get it, piping hot. If you wait a little bit, it's not as great. There were a wide variety of vegetables (the onion rings were the best, then the zucchini, broccoli, respectively) and a lot of it. For $6.75, it'd better be.
(2)
Misha N.
This is one of my favorite sushi places in Santa Cruz and I eat here somewhat frequently. They have a lot of very non-conventional fusion-style rolls that are very good and they also have the more traditional selection as well. I find the service here quite excellent as well.
(5)
Alison W.
In 1994 friends took me to sushi for the first time. I actually liked it. For over 15 years Mobo has been my favorite place. I love the variety and the freshness. Nothing is better than the Special K (except I add shitake mushrooms instead of cashews occasionally). The Tsunami with Maguro instead of Salmon is out of this world. Kevin and Ricky (Sushi Chef's) are amazing and always recognize us!
(5)
Kelly F.
Rude and I left hungry. What is up with the plastic tables?
(1)
Michael M.
This is one of the best sushi places I have found on the west coast. Maybe I was lucky enough to get there on a Monday when the sushi was as fresh as it can be, but when I went back on Wednesday it was even better. If you are around the area you must try this place.
(4)
Gregory R.
This is one of my favorite sushi places. We drive here from San Jose just to eat at Mobo. I'm a big fan of these (usually Korean run) sushi places that offer unique rolls. The people are friendly and chefs make some nice rolls. You get a decent size serving for the price, unlike some of the more hipster-ish sushi places in the bay area. My favorites are the Tsunami (with maguro instead of salmon), Landshark, and Scooter Roll. A Miami Roll (without the mayo) makes for a nice, sweet finish.
(5)
shannon m.
Excellent rolls and food presentation, service, and decor! It's the sushi restaurant I go to when I have a little extra money in my pocket.
(5)
John M.
Great Except for the Gasoline Smell, No Wait that was me. The food was awesome! The Cat Rolls Rule. (please note that I am talking about rolls with Cat in the name, as opposed to rolls with cat meat in them, yuck). Enough about them, lets talk about me. I want to appologize to anyone who was there on Sunday night who might have had their meal impacted by someone smelling like jonny the human torch. Here's how it happend. I ran out of gas about a mile outside of Santa Cruz. Luckily a friend we were eating with came and picked us up to take us to the gas station. I have a huge cast on my hand so while pouring the gas in the tank I got it all overmyself.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Empee P.
This is absolutely my favorite sushi spot in Santa Cruz!! The only reason that I don't give this place a complete 5 stars is because I'm not a huge fan of their tempura or their gyoza (two items I love love!!) but other than that..their sushi tops all. My boyfriend and I LOVE the McRandy roll..our favorite roll fasho! Salmon, unagi, cream cheese, and macadamia nut=the best texture tasty sensation in your mouth! We can't get enough! Also, I love their beef udon complete with shitake mushrooms! Mmm..so good! I love this place and I'll be so sad when I move out of Santa Cruz and I won't have the McRandy roll be a drive away... So, if you have the craving for some good sushi and awesome udon, definitely come here! Their sashimi is very fresh but I think I like the sashimi from Totoro better. So I guess this place wins the title of my favorite sushi place in Santa Cruz for two reasons: McRandy roll and beef udon..but that's definitely more than enough!
(4)Samantha B.
When I took my first bite of my sushi roll, I straight up asked myself, "WHY DIDN'T YOU GO HERE SOONER?" The prices were REALLY reasonable for the portions I got with my order. Very affordable and very, very tasty! I was pretty much mad at myself as I devoured into the sushi, telling myself I was a big fat dummy for avoiding this restaurant during the past 3 years I was living in Santa Cruz. I don't know why I did that... I guess I thought the other sushi places in Santa Cruz were worth its while instead. But I was wrong!! MoBo's is a must go!! A MUSTTT!!!! And writing my review, I'm even contemplating for having it for dinner later. Sounds like a really good idea to me!! MMMM... my mouth is watering and my stomach is fluttering (it's way of telling me I should eat what I'm craving for... soon) as I'm thinking about it. But seriously, I really enjoyed their sushi rolls here. Their service is great and sake bombing is fun here too!
(4)Ani H.
the best veggie sushi selection. the husband will not eat fish but loves their veggie sushi (miami roll, crop-burning, and magic maki are his faves). It's a great place - servers are good and bus boys are always refilling your water. We are a fan of their miso dressing for their salad (which you can take home with you) and their fresh ginger tea (when you can get it). I love their maui wowie (tuna, avo, macadamia nuts), and their surfing asparagus (avo, yam, salmon, tuna, and cream cheese). Their special crunch dragon is a favorite for all who come to visit - sooo delicious. If you have guests for the weekend head on over Friday and Saturday for their saki bomb bar tricks.
(5)kt b.
Good quality, affordable, yummy sushi. Huge vegan and vegetarian selection (of both rolls and other menu items) as well. And you can get almost any roll battered and fried (soooo good with the corruptor roll or guido roll). Definitely one of my favorite places to eat out in Santa Cruz.
(4)G B.
Always fun to watch the Sake Bomb Domino Drop on Friday night!!! Super good fresh Sushi. The Employees are super nice and service is quick for how busy they usually are. Sake Bomb!
(5)Michael V.
After receiving a recommendation from a friend, i was eager to try this place. I'm sorry but most people are wrong about this place. First thing I noticed was a create your own sushi roll, which is never a good thing. It demonstrates a lack of creativity. Secondly, the menu consists of mostly over complicated rolls and maki. A roll with tuna, hamachi, avocado, cream cheese, and macadamia nuts tastes confused instead of innovative. They seem to try too hard to be different from I love sushi and such, but in their attempts possibly ruined their sushi. Simplicity makes good sushi mobo. The more ingredients the less each one stands out. The 'seared' ahi came out well done and cooked dry all the way through and covered with an overly salty peanut sauce. My experience here was sub par to say the least. On the positive side they have good prices and fast service. Though receiving over $25 in one dollar bills in change without explanation did not help save the restaurant for me. It seems Santa Cruz does not understand sushi. Save your money and go to otoro in Scott's valley or sushi totoro on mission. Haters will hate but it's better than this place.
(2)Malavvika K.
Can I just say, these guys love their vegetarians! Along with the simple Kappa and Avocado Makis, they offer other, more complex rolls with some of the most unique and coherent flavors. I've tried most of their vegetarian rolls, and among the best so far are the "Guido", "Miami Roll" and "Lori Maki". They're definitely going on my speed dial!
(5)Nick T.
For a sushi place in Santa Cruz, this place is nothing to complain about, but the roominess and the fact that the place has great atmosphere has really put it at the top of Japanese places in Santa Cruz I'll be frequenting in the coming years. The servers were kind, the sushi bar was great fun, as they always are, and the tea was unusually good. I would suggest, if you're sticking to sushi, to try the specialties, as the couple my companion and I tried were quite good. I have yet to try the entrees, but for sushi I can definitively say that this place is great! DAutrecourt
(4)Kevin M.
Mobo has a great variety of rolls at a decent price. I recommend going on a Friday night for the free Sake Bombs.
(4)Greg N.
Went in for the first time in awhile. Ordered a bunch of different rolls. Mcrandy, landshark, avalanche, tsunami. Sadly not one of them had the freshness that I expect from sushi. This place has gone downhill and fast. I won't be back here for a long time, the rolls just don't taste like they used to. The saddest thing was when my friend said to me that he thinks that the Safeway on Mission had better quality sushi. Thats not good.
(2)Noah W.
This is the by a large margin, the worst sushi bar in Santa Cruz. The food and service are both mediocre. I ordered some salmon nigiri which tasted OK, but the fish was cut extremely large, and the rice was the worst I've ever had. Not only was it not fixed correctly for sushi, it was slapped together, sloppy, and fell apart. The worst part about Mobo Sushi is their interior. This place is ugly beyond belief.
(1)Dev O.
presto maki is all I got to say. food is dreamy. service is okay--hit or miss.
(4)Rachael D.
This is our favorite sushi place in Santa Cruz! We love the welcoming atmosphere and of course, the sushi. They have many great vegetarian options, which are delicious even if you eat fish. And there are also great options if you don't feel like sushi, like the Lomi Lomi Salmon.
(5)Yelper X.
Mobo. For years you were a four letter word in sushi. While your communist general of an owner made the trip worth it every time, you were always the Wal-Mart of Santa Cruz sushi joints: fast, relatively cheap, poor service and just plain mediocre sushi. Imagine my surprise this last visit... we had a great time! The food and service were on point. Mobo has been under new management for some time now, but it wasn't until this visit that I can say they have finally pulled it all together. I've been keeping LA time lately, so we didn't make it to Mobo until almost 9:00p. We were greeted promptly and seated in a great corner table in the newly expanded portion of the restaurant. Our server was attentive and made regular visits to the table, unheard of in previous visits. The bus boy was equally charming. Our water glasses never got empty. Now, on to the sushi: I have a regular rotation of favorites. Tonight the chef rocked my world with a presto maki (hamachi), krazy kat (katsuo), miami roll with shitake (tempura yam). Rolls were huge, well balanced... delicious. Don't come here expecting authentic Japanese sushi; however, this is very good representation of what California sushi has to offer. Added bonus ... FULL LIQUOR LICENSE. Yea, get your drink on.
(4)Susanna S.
My boyfriend and I went to this restaurant last night. Bad experience all around. We love Sushi restaurants and have been to hundreds, from Japan to the U.S. First of all we we're greeted with the attitude that "customers are here. What a nuisance." The energy about the place was weird. The menu is totally confusing and when I asked the waitress, she was really defensive and sarcastic.We ordered several rolls and sushi, quality not that great. The service was a 3 on a scale of to 10. And it's owned by Koreans and not Japanese. Again, we've been to 100's of sushi restaurants and NEVER does an authentic Japanese owned sushi restaurant lack in exceptional service and quality of food. At least this has been our experience. Sigh. Never to return.
(1)Josie W.
One of the better sushi restaurants around here, not the best, but one of. I love how they put all the sushi roll orders on one giant plate, which can get confusing at times. Service was fine and sweet. Decor is cute. I've been here a couple times for birthday dinners. It's my roommate's favorite sushi place in Santa Cruz. She recommends the rolls that are named after cars
(4)Drew A.
Pretty fitting for Santa Cruz; lots of cruchiness. A lot of rolls have nuts in 'em. I don't really eat rolls, but it sounded good that day. I don't remember the name, but the best one I had had Hamachi, basil (or cilantro) and macadamias. Pretty damn good! They weren't too busy for a lunch rush, but service was quick and friendly. I overheard a conversation behind me, and they said they don't eat any fish, but come here all the time. After looking at the menu, and seeing all of the veggie items, I can see why.
(4)Grant T.
I went to Mobo sushi with a vegan friend when he was in town, because someone suggested it. I have to say my experience with Mobo was horrible. First, the food. Overpriced sushi. The vegan rolls weren't really that tasty. The fish wasn't very good. The service was horrible. We spent tons of money on sushi and left hungry. We ended up at Saturn about an hour later and ate again. I don't think I would ever go back into that place unless someone was paying. Even then, I'm not sure I would. There better sushi restaurants in town which I'll be going to.
(1)Tracy N.
Wow I am never going back to this awful sushi restaurant. Seriously, my worse ever sushi experience in Santa Cruz. I waited 30 mins to get my food after I had ordered! Which has never happened to me before. Just horrendous service, although everyone is nice--it doesn't make up for how long I waited. Usually when restaurants make me wait I am delighted to see that they brought me out a free appetizer but this restaurant did nothing like that. I just continued to wait and my wait was soooo long that I felt like I had to keep entertaining myself aside from the horrible acoustics of the restaurant that make everything sound sooo loud. I literally wanted to chop my ears off at that point. Moving on to the sushi, horrible....the raw fish I ordered to go with my sushi was semi-warm....you'd think raw fish=cold...but this was nothing like the experience I had. Overall...30 mins wait time, horrible service, and hot sushi? Seriously NEVER AGAIN. I'm going back to I love Sushi because customer service comes first. What a concept!
(1)Veronica G.
This place was awesome! A couple of friends took me here not too long ago. Now, I'm not a sushi fan, which is why I stuck with the teriyaki chicken, but for just $13 i got the chicken, vegetables, miso soup, salad and a big bowl of white rice. I would definitely go there again.
(4)Felipe C.
Great sushi. Good atmosphere
(5)Keiki C.
We at there last night and notice the quality has gone down quite a bit. Maybe it was an off night for them, but the service was terrible, the yellowtail was mediocre, and the rolls we used to get was subpar. What happened to Mobo? We used to like this place a lot.
(3)R S.
Been coming to Mobo for well over 20 years and though they are not always consistent there's a reason i keep coming back. The menu offerings are the best i've found of any sushi place, anywhere! especially for vegetarians, you will find so many nori maki options you will be hard-pressed to figure out which to choose. Well, here's a few not to miss: magic maki, artishaw, guido. Another outstanding find is the pickle plate. Oshitashi and edamame are staples. Great variety, great price. Always fresh & tasty. Where else can you get anything close to this?
(5)Lindsey D.
I have been eating at Mobo for years, but came last night after a year w/ out Mobo. My favorites have always been the Sunrise (mmm, quail egg), sushi rage, and the flying tiger. Last night we tried the calamari roll for the first time and it was damn good. Their wasabi is consistently damn-hot. Sadly, we had an extremely gross roll called the Salmon Catcher or something like that...It was one of those baked rolls. It would have been good, but had about 2 inches of solid mayo on the top. It should have been called the Manchowder roll. I will now avoid any rolls that list miso mayo. Nasty!
(4)Huyen N.
I used to love Mobo's. Until they started telling me HOW to order my sushi.
(2)Kurt C.
Best service round for sushi. Free sake bombs on Friday and Saturday nights at 730. This is my wife's and I favorite sushi place. Always fresh and fast.
(4)Craig A.
I have been here before and have had some okay sushi, definitely nothing amazing, but tonight we ordered the Salmon sashimi and it was so bad we couldn't even eat it. We ordered a couple of plates but only partially ate one, the other we told our server to take back because it was awful. The owner came to our table to see what was wrong with the food, when he heard our complaint about the food he went into this spiel about how it was prepared and how Mobo's has the highest quality fish in Santa Cruz. He then insisted we pay for the untouched portion as well as the one we had partially eaten. We told him that was ridiculous, there was no way we should have to pay for food we didn't eat because it tasted awful. Rather than apologize for the bad meal and offer a substitute menu item he went and called the police to cite us for refusing pay for services rendered. Needless to say, I will never be eating at Mobo's again!
(1)Cheryl M.
Unfortunately, not my #1 sushi bar any longer. The last couple of times I have been there, it has been mediocre (sushi and service). I had been wanting to take an out of town friend to Mobo for years and finally got the opportunity. And since the expansion, thought we had a better chance of getting a table. While being seated at a very small table, I watched what I realized was our sushi order, sit for almost 10 minutes while we finished our appetizer. No one seemed concerned. I was embarrassed. There are other good choices for sushi in the area who seem to care more about customer service and what is served. Sadly I may be done with Mobo after all these years.
(3)David P.
A place that the owner has given up. Chef Ramsey definitely needs to take this place on. Service: So I come and ask for the bar. Usually the bar is where all the excitement as most sushi chefs are very talkative and take pride in their food. Talk about being a group of depressed staff. One of the staff on the side is talking about how his heart was broken by some girl to another girl. Maybe the sob story was his strategy to rebound? The chefs don't even realize you are there. There is one with the scar on his eye, maybe from his Yukuza days. In either case, they were complaining to each other how tired they were and how they wanted to get paid...paid for doing what again? The waitress was pretty cool overall. Food: So I order the Lomi Lomi Salmon but unfortunately they ran out. I picked Hiyako Salad which was simply a bunch of old firm chopped tofu, some ponzu, and lettuce on the side. OK WOW. For my entree, i ordered the Pineapple Express? It had spicy tuna, macadamia nuts crushed along with chunks of pineapples for topics. You can taste the lack of freshness of nuts and you can definitely tell the pineapple was from a can. Of all the fish that should be fish, I would think the salmon would be which it was not. And I left with no greeting or thank you. The Yakuza chef was busy wiping his glasses...ahhh...the gangster life isn't what it use to be.
(1)Johanna D.
I've been here three times, and two of those times my fish tasted vaguely like Windex or some other cleaning chemical. Somewhat of a turn-off, as it were. My sushi was alright one time, which is why I'm giving this place two stars instead of one. The service has been horrifyingly slow all three times, so much so that the third time I started eating pieces of my napkin waiting for my Windex Roll to arrive. So I'll cut to the chase; go to Shogun or Bentens.
(2)Carrie V.
I usually write long reviews but very simply this place is c*m in your pants delicious. Can I say that on yelp without getting in trouble? I had my first sushi ever here over a decade ago and used to frequent Mobo's when I lived in Santa Cruz. It's been years and years since I ate here last, but I was thrilled to discover tonight that the food here has only improved over the years. Go. Eat as much as you can. They have the most amazing, diverse, inventive ingredients and rolls you could ever imagine. Service was stellar, bathrooms clean, cocktails were great (if a bit pricey)! Not a single complaint from me. I regret only that I was not hungry enough to have a few more rolls...we had the death star, the eliminator, and the surfing asparagus. All delicious, really truly amazing. :) And worth every penny!
(5)Ann L.
I'm giving this place 2 stars mainly because i'm biased. I'm more partial to sushi totoro. the rolls here were decent - they don't label very well what's in the rools, and I had an allergic reaction to a roll they had with macadamia nuts in it. that brings another point, they put macadamia nuts into so many rolls, don't know why. the seaweed salad was pretty good. the portions are a bit small for their prices, and the size of the places causes the staff to miss us a lot, even though it was pretty empty when me and about 3 friends came in. water tasted funny, too.
(2)Adam K.
I dont like sushi, so i am commenting on the chicken dinner i had and the service my group received. 1) the chicken wasnt great. its hard to screw up chicken teriyaki but they managed to screw it up. dark meat...really? use white, dark is gross. this place compared to takara is subpar. takara also has pork cutlets which are great, mobo only has chicken and beef. lastly, the service. we came in with a group of seven people so that means the gratuity was included in our bill. they waitress did not deserve the 18% they charged us. we waited WAY too long to place our order, the service between that and the check was spotty and then when it was time to pay up. she never came back. we had to go find her to pay. they only way i would come back here is if some one else wanted to go and i was crystal clear when i placed my order to give me good meat, not garbage. on the other side, the people i went with said the sushi was good. so there might be some upside to some one wanting sushi.
(2)Wendy P.
I went here last night with my housemates for dinner. I've been here before, but I decided to give this place another try. One of my housemates wanted to go here because they give out free sake bombs Friday nights :) The atmosphere was loud (in a good & fun way). The place was crowded, but we were seated right away. Although the service wasn't that great that night, it's not really their fault because we were kinda blocked from where we were seated. We did get what we needed, just took a bit more patience I guess. When it was time for the guy to do the sake bombs, it was very exciting. I guess it was because it was my first time seeing him do the domino affect, but it looked cool nonetheless :) Plus, the sake bombs were free so that's another plus! I had a hard time deciding what to get because I didn't understand what was in the sushi since they used Japanese terms. Most of the words were defined in the glossary in the back, but there were still a few that I didn't know. I ordered the Beamer & the Mercedes Benz. I was a bit disappointed. The end pieces were good because it had big chunks of fish, but the middle part felt dry to me; it was mostly rice. One of my housemate got the Nabeyaki Udon; it said it was good. My other two housemates got spicy tuna, two pink caddy & a tamago roll. The spicy tuna & the pink caddy looked good. It looked like it had a lot of flavor & it was filled. It was filled with rice or plain looking like the two rolls that I got. Overall, I give this place a 3.5 :)
(3)Diana H.
This is my favorite sushi restaurant in Santa Cruz! The rolls are amazing. They use interesting ingredients like basil, cilantro, garlic, and even beets! But they have excellent traditional sushi as well. They also offer a massive selection of vegetarian rolls. I suggest the crop burning, vern maki, guido, and iron man for veggie rolls. And the special K, beamer, presto maki, and maui wowie for fish rolls. If you're into sashimi defintiely try the chef's choice. It is beautiful and delicious. The prices are good, the fish is fresh, and the rolls are unique.
(5)Candace H.
This is a great find! Sushi is fresh and portions are generous! For four, the bill was right around $120 -and that's with five premium rolls, three others, two orders of nigiri, a couple appetizers, four large Sopporo, one large sake, and a bottle of sparkling sake! Everything was fresh and tasty!
(4)Ken J.
Okay, I would not refuse to go again... but I wouldn't go out of my way. I guess when I get Japanese food, I am expected a more traditional fare. If their recipes blew me away, I would accept it for what it was: but the food didn't blow me away. Didn't order much, but looked at other plates and read the menu -- a wide variety of creative combinations-- The Udon broth was the Sukyaki broth. That to me is a no-no. The gyoza was breaded? Unusual texture at least... but not very flavorful. The salmon shashimi was far from the freshest or more flavorful I have encountered. It didn't taste "off" as another reviewer suggested, but it was not top quality either...farmed? I wouldn't call it bad, but it's nothing to write home about.
(3)Jordan H.
Amazing---been here 5 times, always perfect service & quick food. Thanks!
(5)Danielle K.
This is still my favorite sushi place in Santa Cruz and well.. ever! Yesterday my boyfriend and I were lucky enough to be the very first customers to sit in their new addition. They took over the real estate office that was located next door to them and made it into another room. Yesterday was officially their first time using it. Ya, we felt special. We even met the owner, who was very cool. Also since this was my man and Is Valentines day.. I had to work today :( we decided to go all out and get a dessert. I am in LOVE with their tempura fried banana with honey and macadamia nuts on top.. followed by green tea ice cream on the side. WOW!
(5)Catherine G.
Yum! Tasty rolls of all different kinds (including veggie), yummy tempura, and teriyaki sauce that is out of this world. Chicken teriyaki here is great. The perfect balance of sweet and salty, with tender meat. I'm personally a big fan of the creative maki - especially the Beamer and the Pink Caddy. Delicious, well-balanced combinations. The service is pretty good, but nothing to go crazy about. The take-out is a nice, quick option on a busy night. As far as ambiance, it can get a little crowded, but not nuts. It's not super fancy, but not a total dump, either. Probably a good place for a first date - not too-too quiet, and not too showy either.
(5)Ryan O.
Being a big fan of sushi, but also very picky about quality, I am always pretty skeptical about new sushi places. I stumbled in here with a friend on our search for food in Santa Cruz. The first thing I noticed about this place was the price. Contrary to the other reviews, I would say this is one of the most modestly priced sushi places for the quality. The average price of a roll was around $7. Yes, they have cheaper ones, and yes, they have expensive specialty rolls (no more than $16 that I saw). The fish quality was fresh and tasty. This is probably the most important aspect for me when I go out for sushi. The menu was very extensive and has a lot to choose from. However, I should note that if you don't know the Japanese name for the fish, good luck. There is no english translation. This was the only downside to this place. I would definitely revisit this place.
(4)Linda L.
I should have tried one of their (many) rolls, instead I went with my tried & true beef teriyaki (lots of meat, but strangely, it was very bland with no flavor - even with the teriyaki sauce). The rice on the california roll was stale, like the roll had been made a while ago. The bento box did come with ALOT of food, unfortuanately it was all just OK, not anything I'd be wanting to order again. My husband said his "Chef's special" sashimi platter was very good, and they included a couple of interesting pieces that were wrapped in cucumber. I would probably be willing to try it again, but I would definitely order something different. Dinner was $50 for two of us, with no alcohol.
(3)Emily R.
I love mobo! Great quality and inventive rolls.
(4)Amy O.
Innovative sushi rolls. This isn't a traditional sushi joint, most rolls of some sort of nut or herb in it. The first time I came in here, I wanted just straight up rolls, and was disturbed by the macademia and basil. It is my friend's favorite sushi place as they have a ton of veggie rolls. So, tonight I went knowing I wasn't going to get traditional, and I ordered: Green Eggs and Ham: Sake, Egg, and Avocado Pesto (something or other): Hamachi, Basil, macademia Both good, if something different with raw fish is what you are looking for. Great customer service. Looks like it is good for groups, as the 30 minutes that we were there, three huge groups showed up.
(4)Karen M.
Sticky menu, way overpriced, got our order wrong twice, nothing special about the rolls.
(2)Rebecca P.
UCSC students: this is the best place to have your visiting parents take you out to dinner because Trader Joe's is right across the parking lot, so you can easily lead them to buying you groceries after you eat. It's genius!
(4)Alan D.
Mobo's Sushi has my favorite meal in Santa Cruz County. Neruda would have written an ode. In addition to my favorite meal, they also have a full bar, sushi bar, booths, tables, and outdoor seating. Their busing staff is on point. I've never seen my lemon wedge hit the bottom of my glass. Their sushi includes traditional styles as well as more inventive rolls. The land shark and special K are 2 favorite rolls of mine. My hands down favorite thing to get there is one of their three udons. Giyuniku Udon: This is less than $10. It's a huge bowl of thick udon noodles in a soup. It has marinated Shitaki mushrooms that absorb the broth and are always at a firmness unmatched by any meat, sea food, or tofu, although somewhere in between firmness of tofu and calamari. The bowl also includes thin shredded raw carrots, a huge wad of spinach, thinly sliced grilled steak, and a light amount of green onions. The portions of each ingredient are generous and if you can make it past the mass amounts, there's always treasure hunting for the remaining pieces left in the large pool of broth. It's healthy, filling, affordable, and makes me want to order it again the next time I go.
(5)Kevin K.
This restaurant is very close to where I work and I have been here several times. The service is consistently quick and the food quality is consistent as well. I usually order the lunch special that includes: chicken teriyaki, miso soup, green salad, broccoli and carrot combo, arbor roll (avocado, cucumber, peanuts, and broccoli), and pickled cucumbers. I am always satisfied since this is a huge amount of food despite only costing $8.95. Other Japanese places may have specials like this, but you don't get anywhere near as much food as you do at Mobo Sushi. By the way, I am Japanese American and know what authentic Japanese food is and this restaurant is not authentic. However, I didn't expect it to be. I am satisfied with the amount of food and it helps that it is delicious :)
(4)Jessica J.
The staff isn't very friendly...they're just there to do their job. One time I went with a group of four on a weekend, so a wait was expected for a table. The owner actually took us to the back patio, where about three empty tables were pushed together for a larger group with a reservation. The owner pointed at a group of four (still working on their rolls) and said "They're almost finished! You can have their table when they're done!" We sat at the empty, reserved tables to stay out of the staff's way as they continued serving, just to have about 3 of them tell us we weren't allowed to sit there because it was reserved for a larger group. We would have been completely fine waiting at the front door to be seated when a table was ready for us. My husband and I had our very first date here, and sat at the top bench of the bleacher-style seats behind the sushi bar. Fun for people watching, but the sushi chefs paid no mind to us. I've sat in almost every location within the restaurant at some point or another, and the only reason I returned (and even gave this as high as 3 stars) is because the sushi is delicious. They have a very large menu selection with tons of possibilities and unique flavor combinations. Prices are okay; not too high, but the rolls aren't usually very big.
(3)Davis D.
Sorry Mobo, but you're my last pick for Santa Cruz sushi. I came here for someone's birthday and had already read the Yelp reviews for it, so I wasn't expecting much, and was planning to be nice about it. I honestly don't have anything nice to say so I'll cut to it... Rolls - poorly rolled, hard rice (did they even use the right kind?), and didn't taste spectacular. Sushi - fish tasted off (slightly spoiled?), and not very fresh Unagi - THERE WAS A BONE IN IT--WTF Oh, and the prices don't justify even going here. They are just as expensive, if not more than some other places in Santa Cruz. I'd stay away from this spot...I Love Sushi is only 5 minutes away.
(2)Michelle S.
We ordered to-go here and I wasn't too impressed. The menu wasn't very detailed and the hostess clearly wasn't knowledgable on the menu (she couldn't answer my questions). The sushi was good though; the pieces were pretty big. The decor was nice and it was pretty busy... I'd give this place a try again.
(3)Zulu Q.
I am quite honest about my myriad of shortcomings. For example, I am a royal pain in the ass to take out to eat. I want to fancy myself a foodie; but to say that I am fastidious is a severe understatement. The following conversations are common in my life: "Hey, let's eat Indian food." "Um, no, I seriously hate curry. In fact, I will get sick and lose my appetite if I smell it." "Um....Thai?" "No. I hate peanut sauce, coconut milk, and curry...kinda obliterates the whole cuisine." "Um....sushi." "OF COURSE." later at sushi... "Hey let's split rolls." "No. I don't like rolls." "??????" "Well, I don't like avocado (some Californian I am). I don't eat deep-fried food (sober). And I hate mayonaise. I also hate the taste and texture of more than one fish at a time. That doesn't even decimate my options...that just about rules them out." "Um, ok, you're on your own." Now, that is almost a lie. Sometimes I can find rolls that I can easily modify...no avocado...no special sauce...no tempura. However, I pick them apart and eat the fish individually....this also raises many eyebrows and rolls many eyes. "What are you doing?" "Eating the different fish in the roll individually." "Why didn't you just get sashimi?" "This is cheaper." Well, if you are a royal pain in the ass like me, Mobo is a great place for you. On top of the plethora of roll options that they have on the menu (including vegetarian and vegan options...we are in Santa Cruz after all...I will refrain from shoe-optional jokes), they also have a "design your own roll" option. You can add certain types of fish, vegetables, or sauces to your base of rice and seaweed for different price increments per item. HOW COOL IS THAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Even fastidious tools such as myself can have their cake...er...sushi and eat it too at Mobo! The location is not visible from the street. The directions will say by Traders Joe's*; they really mean that it is behind it. *The largest Trader Joe's I've ever seen...like "Big K-Mart" by Trader Joe's standards.
(3)Alex Q.
As far as Santa Cruz sushi places go, this is probably the worst. I went for a friends birthday party and right from the get-go it was not a very nice experience. First of all, they put 2 Costco tables together for us (no tablecloth? really?)... Secondly, the prices are fairly high for relatively small rolls and if I am paying $20+ for dinner, I expect quality. There was not much quality here: one of the rolls used the little small frozen shrimp that were tasteless and another roll tasted bitter when nothing in the roll should have been bitter. The ambiance was pretty nice though, the birthday party was enjoyable and the service was nice. They even had a picture of a tiger on the wall which was pretty funny (one of the characters in the name Mobo means 'tiger'). It's just that the quality of the food was so hard to get over that I would much rather go to Sushi Totoro or I Love Sushi.
(1)Lisa B.
This is a fun place to come with a large group. The menu is varied enough to accommodate vegetarians and people who don't like sushi. Eating outside is pleasant despite the view-less venue and service is fast though perfunctory. Our family really likes sushi, however, and after several visits to Mobo we all agreed that the freshness and presentation pizzazz that we expect at a sushi restaurant--especially having been spoiled by all the options over the hill in Silicon Valley--just isn't there. The vegetarian rolls are creative. The miso soup and bento boxes are good. But the actual sushi is just so so.
(3)ShiitakesroOms L.
My favorite sushi place in Santa Cruz.. (it switched from I love sushi to this) I could name of the things I order in this place and it NEVER EVER disappoints me.. Its like a Japanese fusion restaurant, most definitely can't find your typical "rainbow roll" here.. 1. Eliminator - love the crunch from the macadamia nuts. And if your craving unagi this is a good roll to have.. 2. Pinapple Express - your lion king roll with a pineapple on top. SUPER DELICIOUS. A bit on the expensive side 3. McRandy - love the smoked salmon. mmm 4. DONT SKIP OUT ON THEIR HOUSE SALAD!!! The dressing is to die for.. I'm glad I tried it.. Those are the usual rolls I go for. I've tried the flying tiger and a roll very similar to the mcrandy roll.. I love this place.. Can't really say anything bad about it either.. OH their udon.. YUMMY ON A COLD DAY.. (the one with everything in it) I go here to get my soup fix if I don't want to drive all the way to sanjo just to get some pho.. If you want to venture off into new sushi territory - this is the place to go.. And its pretty decently priced too!!
(5)Erica M.
Mobo is "OK". We are regulars elsewhere, but most Sushi joints are closed on a Sunday so we decided to give it a try. We have been to Mobo probably a handful of times over the years, but I can't say I have ever left impressed. The good: A huge selection of rolls for sure. The Bad: we both agreed that there was a salty flavor to our Nigiri and our rolls. I know, kind of strange but I left about 8 rolls uneaten because of the salty flavor. Service was great and attentive, but it's just not the best place for Sushi in Santa Cruz. Not horrible, but not the best.
(3)Robert S.
What can I say I like Mobo and if I have to go to a place downtown I always pick Mobo over the rest. the mix of sushi chefs believe it or not are white and Japanese and all put together some quality food. I am either here with a group in which we ALWAYS have sat outside and the service has still been exceptional and quick to take are order and serve our food and drinks. My favorite is getting a table right near the sushi chefs. There are bar seats all around and a couple booth setup in a stair like fashion off to the side that is like a viewing deck as you sit side by side with your dinner date or guest. This always adds to the experiences and makes the sushi service much much quicker. I always order sushi or sashimi when coming here so that is mainly what i can comment on. I have a craving to always order rolls with macadamian nuts or just straight sashimi. Mobo has a good deal of selection for both parts. I am getting a craving for Sushi as I write this review. I may just drive down to Santa Cruz and get some mmmmmmm I am tired of all the deep fried type rolls up here in San Mateo. I missing living in Santa Cruz.
(4)chloe m.
I was told this was the best Sushi in Santa Cruz. It may well be but I guess I am spoiled by Imurra's in Watsonville. MOBO cannot come close.
(3)Taylor M.
I really like Mobo! Being vegan, it's usually pretty hard to find more than the standard side of rice and cucumber roll at a sushi place, but Mobo makes it easy by clearly labeling everything as either vegetarian or vegan AND providing an entire page of vegetarian style rolls. I've never disliked anything I've ordered here. Even better, the staff has never been weird about special orders or altering menu items to make them vegan. It's always busy, but I've never noticed service suffering because of it, and I've never experienced a long wait. Seating is prompt, food comes quickly, and you don't have to wait twenty minutes for the bill after you've finished eating. What's more, it's always CLEAN in there! Eat here! You won't regret it!!
(5)Michelle S.
I was really underwhelmed by this place. My boyfriend took me here for dinner on my birthday, and I kinda wish we'd gone somewhere else instead. I love going to Sushi Restaurants to sample their special rolls, but Mobo didn't have that big of a selection. The portions were small for the price, and the fish didn't seem that fresh. The atmosphere was cool though! I'm going elsewhere in the future for my sushi fix
(2)seanmichael r.
*I'm a vegetarian, I do not eat seafood, this rating is for vegetarian dishes only* Are you a vegetarian? Do you like sushi? MOBO is the place for you. I am a sushi addict. I can never get enough. I have eaten in sushi restaurants all across the U.S. and in JAPAN. No restaurant I have been to has been able to top the selection, creativity, and overall taste of MOBO's vegetarian rolls. Not only that but you can create your own from scratch and get any roll tempura'd for a $1.00! I'd tempura everything in my life for a $1.00 if that was an option. We had one small issue once, and the manager came over and solved it right away with a smile. If the weather is nice, sit out on the patio! It's lovely.
(5)Jaime O.
Very pleased. We popped in for a bite after the "the Sweet" free show (check out the sweet, man oh man do they rock-- BIG fan!) daddy had the bento box - filling and satisfying Baby blue had the ikura and shared on bento box I had udon "tori" - it wasn't flavorful - but I'll still be back. Large beer and sake - we ordered the sweet one - our bad. Our server was great. The experience was enjoyable. see you there next week for the Tubes!
(4)Lisa H.
They really need to disclose that they automatically add 10% to all takeout orders when people call. But what's really bad is that they don't even tell you when you go to pay. You'll just notice that your bill amounts to more than you expect (if you calculate the total while ordering that is). If you call them on it they'll say its a gratuity fee, but hold on, isn't a gratuity fee supposed to be for good service? Hmmm. I actually wouldn't mind paying a gratuity fee, even for takeout, if the service is really good. But when I feel I'm being ripped off, I don't think so.
(3)Claire L.
What more can I say about Mobo than INCREDIBLE! I've been coming here for years, and the food quality has never disappointed. When I come with family or friends, we are consistently impressed by the attentiveness of the wait staff and the friendliness of everyone who works in the restaurant. I have yet to be disappointed with hospitality. Every time I come I order the miso soup, the dinner salad with miso dressing, edamame, and several rolls. My favorite, most frequently selected rolls are: Death Star/Guido (a vegetarian Death Star), Crunch Dragon, Flying Tiger, Miami Roll, Shizo Heavy, Mad Dog, and Krazy Kat. Some other excellent rolls are Scooter Roll, Special K, Pineapple Express, Starstruck (add Mango), Surfing Asparagus, and Snoball Maki. I would recommend more rolls with Unagi, but the Unagi is typically my only complaint with the restaurant; it's not always as fresh as it could be. The rolls are decently priced, and always very tasty. After dinner, if you have room, don't hesitate to order the tempura banana dessert with ice cream; my favorite types of ice cream are the Mango and Coconut, but the Green Tea isn't bad. You won't be disappointed!
(5)Katrina B.
Great service and even better sushi! Creative, fresh, delicious rolls and a HUGE vegetarian section. Possibly my new favorite restaurant in Santa Cruz. It's also very affordable, about $5-$6 per roll. Makes me happy.
(5)Vicky T.
The Sushi chef here is impressive. When it comes to art, some use paints, others pencils or pens, clay or other "art" products. At Mobo the art comes in the form of its sushi. If you have the opportunity sit at the Sushi Bar and watch the master in action. He made this GORGEOUS iguana (yes an iguana) from sashimi which also had a turnip flower and a wasabi crane with a carrot bill. The service can vary (it is a hit or miss on quality)-- however the ridiculous creative masterpieces that the Sushi Chefs come up with are almost worth the price (if the fish wasn't as fresh as it is I would have some issues). update: chicken teri is the best i have tasted thus far here in sc.. there is enough sauce, and the meat isn't all dried out. the udon is more americanized than anything.... there are way too much meat and everything gets drowned out so there is no distinct flavor.... over all though.. i still feel this is one of the better places to go for japanese around this town
(4)Misty N.
Love the fish tank, love the food!
(4)Bob V.
Had the sushi lunch special, which is a chef's choice each day. Cost is $9.99. Was very good. Full liquor bar and authentic looking sushi bar. I felt the sushi was very well made, some unique rolls as well. Will post photos of dishes in future (need to download from phone).
(4)Bruce B.
I'm a little confused about this place. Service is good and fish quality is decent but not the best. It's never melt-in-your-mouth quality. The cooked food sucks - I've tried almost everything here. But the creativity in their rolls and deviations is outstanding. I love the Tsunami and Ice 9 deviations. The scooby-do had a funny taste to it. The Tazuna is like a huge dragon roll - big pieces of raw fish on a CA roll. But tonight they gave the dragon legs made of scallops and more fish. The Corrupter roll (basil, garlic, mac nuts) works really well. Oh, try to get the upper seat in their stadium type booth by the sushi bar. Best seat in the house.
(3)Noelle E.
Went here tonight for a date, and it was good fresh eats and nice hearty portions. Service was fine and successful and our server was to the point and politely sweet. It was about 6:30 pm on a Sunday night. The Nor-Cal roll is piled quite high with light and tasty small popcorn shrimps and some teriyaki like sauce to smear it in. I ordered it as a starter because I am used to places skimping and giving me a very small roll where just 3 or 4 pieces are sitting all lonely on a pristine plate. No - this was quite filling so I urged my date to split it with me. My entree was the cooked yellowtail collars over rice. The sauce was also teriaki like, and it came with pickled veggie slices on the side, and thin slices of green onion and carrot on the top sprinkled with black sesame seeds. The fish was really fresh and really A+. I don't know that I've eaten yellowtail before and I was impressed - it reminded me of a white flesh salmon with a milder and less heavy taste - which I really appreciated. Slid right off the bones and thicker skin onto my chop sticks. Very very good. So filling that b/c i got the roll to start I ended up taking half home. My date got the beef teriyaki and sushi bento box: beef teriyaki, carrots, broccoli, salad, cali roll 6 pcs., one tuna, one eel and one yellowtail nigiri, and pickled cucumbers. He really enjoyed it. It was a generous amount of food, and he was very stuffed at the end. He also ordered a large Sake for himself, which I had a couple little sips of, and it was flavorfully delish. Not a terribly cheap dinner, but not overly expensive either. A good meal. My only "eh" thoughts about it is that it was very simple and traditional and the flavors didn't blow me away. The food tasted quite good - but it was because the ingredients were good not because they were seasoned or sauced especially well. Sometimes this is a very good thing since simple and fresh and good can be a blessing, but when I eat out I normally appreciate bursts of mixes of tasty and interesting flavor. That being said I would say most classic Japanese American food in general is like this and that if anything, its a good sign.
(4)Tatiane B.
Good location. Very nice atmosphere. Different choices on the menu. Food presentation was 10 out of 10. As far as taste I woul give 8 out of 10. We left happy :)
(4)h s.
yay!!!! we're here!!!!!!!!!!!! we drove all the way from san jose to eat here!!! not for the the boardwalk, or for the ocean. it was for MOBO!!! omg!!! we were so in love with this place. the servers are friendly and the food is just awesome!! the have this boat thing, and it's like a life size boat for a little kid filled with sushi, sashmi and rolls!!!! YUM!! MY FAVORITE............MOBO WRAP!! are you kidding me???? this simple healthy creation has got me driving all the way from san jose just so i can have a bite of this wrap!! TRY TRY TRY!! and you'll be in LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!
(5)Daddy O.
EDIT 6/11/2008 ======= I came in tonight and ordered a few simple rolls to go. When I got home and bit into the first few, I got so much tendon, I actually gagged. The entire rolls were like this. Back down to 2 stars. EDIT: 1/7/2008 ======= I came back here with the NYF (who had never been) and some friends on Friday evening and the fish was actually pretty good this time around. No fishy or soapy flavors to speak of. Our custom "maki" rolls came out with a crapload of rice on the outside, which is not how maki rolls are made, but decided it wasn't worth complaining. The mean reason being that the service is still grossly inadequate, borderline rude, and complaining would have gotten us nowhere. The presentation of the fish was sloppy and unappealing to the eye. Sushi is still supposed to be an art form, not just slap 'n go fish rice and nori. Mobo failed to impress me with their hastily prepared rolls. Also, I still can't stand how poorly ventilated the place feels. It's like walking in to a steam room. One that gets cleaned out about once every year or so. Hard to work up an appetite. I've moved them from 2 to 3 stars.
(2)Velvet C.
come here for the free saki bombs on friday night before 830, but the sushi is cheap in quality and price. i think the reason that it is popular is that it is cheap for students. plus free beer! duh!
(2)Shannon C.
I don't understand how anyone could live in Santa Cruz. I grew up in the South Bay, so Santa Cruz was always a short drive and a ditched last period class away. When I moved back from living in the midwest, Santa Cruz was the epitome of all things I believed to be California. But then I grew up. And I went to Europe. I lost whatever desire to live cheek-by-jowl with pretentious students that I had remaining, and I started liking guys that shave. I developed a bit of taste and remembered that hippies and college students are equally annoying, and unfortunately, share the same palate. Because when you're stoned or too old to remember good things or too young to know at all, everything tastes delicious. Most of the food in Santa Cruz reflects this low, stoner-based standard: the desserts are always the best part of the meal. Mobo is one of the places I can bring myself to eat in Santa Cruz. The Broccoli Roll is pretty good, consisting of broccoli (WOW, really ?), cashews, and miso mayonaise. See that ? See how they snuck mayonaise in ? Stoners. I'm going to ignore that, cos it's pretty good. The impossible-to-ruin Kappa Maki is also good, but that's sort of where it ends. Their specialty rolls cater to the tastes of someone fond of casseroles, mixing cereals, or really confusing and often conflicting flavors and are usually very disappointing. And the fish is pretty nasty and questionable. They don't get a lot of it fresh: it comes shrink wrapped from who knows where. Good to know. They also charge an 18% gratuity for groups over 5 people, and a 10% gratuity for take-out orders. That brings the price from Ridiculous For This Quality all the way up to Are You Fucking Kidding, This Wasn't Even That Good ! In summation: Broccoli rolls are good, but Allison W. makes a good approximation of it in her own kitchen for half the price. Deal !
(2)Kimmy B.
Although this isn't my favorite sushi restaurant I do love their nigiri. Mobo Sushi's nigiri is fresh, flavorful, delicious and so far the best that I've had in the Santa Cruz area.
(4)annie s.
A visit to Santa Cruz to me means I get to spend time with my family, especially my incredible niece McKenzie and its also come to mean a date with her at Mobo. Anyone who knows me might have had the chance to meet this incredible human being and if you've not been so lucky, you've surely heard about her, because I love this kid and am so proud of her and constantly sing her accolades. Mobo has an incredible and diverse menu, good fish and is actually a huge restaurant now that does incredible amounts of business which is a quality I like to see in restaurants especially raw fish restaurants. I love this place and have since I was in high school growing up in Santa Cruz (back in the day) when the room was a lot smaller.
(4)Maximillian M.
If you're looking for "authentic" sushi, this isn't the place. Instead, you get some pretty crazy takes on sushi rolls, several with macadamias, cashews, cream cheese, and/or garlic added to the usual ingredients. Truthfully, the food quality is three stars--the rolls look spectacular, but once you taste, they're just good. The fourth star is for the crazy low prices... and the crazy sake bomb spectacle, which I saw being prepped but missed the actual event.
(4)Charlie G.
Classy, classier, classiest! I had the best evening hanging out at this sushi bar. For two hours I got to chat with the chefs about motorcycles while munching on some of the freshest, tastiest nigiri I've ever had. I blew a LOT of money, but it was SO worth it: muguro, hamachi, ebi, kani, unagi...and do NOT forget the spicy tuna. The sake was delicious. The conversation was stimulating. This is definitely my favorite sushi spot in all the bay area.
(5)Michael G.
It is hard to know what quality of food you are going to get at Mobo. Most of the time the food is above average, however occasionally the poor quality of the fish renders certain dishes relatively uneatable. I generally stay clear of the raw fish at Mobo (i had a really bad experience with some yellow tail). The cooked dishes are usually always on point. The restaurant atmosphere is above average. The good thing is that there is almost always a table open...
(3)Arob A.
I got sick here two separate times. Yes I went back after the first time because the food tasted good and I wasn't sure that it was what got me sick. Probably want to avoid this place.
(1)Manami K.
As a sushi snob, I can't say that Mobo has "quality" fish. But they have many creative rolls and a lot of different kinds of veggie rolls for vegetarians and vegans. So that's a plus. But they also make their sushi with regular rice and not sushi rice. That is kind of not acceptable to me. But I like their creativity and selections of different sushi.
(2)Tracy N.
I came here with low expectations. Never really WOWed me. But I kept returning and everything has always been consistent. Never received a bad order or bad attitude from the staff. Seating placement has been tricky sometimes (placed cramped in between 2 large parties once, I felt like we were invading their space or vice versa; was placed on a strange cramped platform/stage area before too?!). Sashimi is always fresh. I think the rolls are some hit and miss. There is too much razzle dazzle when I think they should be concentrating more on the fresh fish. My favorite roll is shizo-fine which is a mackerel based roll with shizo leaf, strong flavors I would say that are acquired. But they make it good!
(4)Trevor C.
This is my first review ever, take it as a warning. Mobo Sushi is without a doubt one of the most disgusting places I have ever eaten. On multiple occasions, friends have told me this is their favorite place for sushi; I cannot even begin to comprehend why. After trying it once and not enjoying it I decided to give it another shot even after my sub par first experience. This was a mistake. First, the sushi is disgusting and I advise you to take caution before ingesting. It tastes as if it has been sitting for weeks. I ordered the Lion Roll, a style of roll that I have loved at every other sushi place I have been to. The presentation was nice, until you saw the color, or should I say lack thereof in the fish. The fish appeared as though it had been left out for a week or more. I was skeptical but I of course had to try it seeing as I had just dropped a good chunk of money on it. I wish I had gone with my gut and never let it hit my gut. It was absolutely terrible. The taste was that of week old fish which is exactly why it appeared to be. We called the waitress over and explained that the fish tasted old and bad. She was very sweet and promptly took away the lion roll and allowed us to order a new one free of charge. I wish I hadn't even taken up her offer. The next roll came out and appeared to have the same problems. Lack of color, foul tasting, and overall exactly what a sushi roll shouldn't be. The only positive I took away from this was the excellent service and apologies from the wait staff which I assume comes from the fact that thy have to deal with this sort of thing often. Do not go to mobi sushi. There are a handful of other sushi places throughout the county that are leagues above Mobo.
(1)Sara M.
I come to Mobo almost everytime I come to Santa Cruz. When I still ate fish, theirs was good. I don't now and I love (and very much appreciate) the variety of ingredients on the menu to make vegetarian/vegan rolls. I seriously go crazy. Plus there is no egg in their tempura - which means lots of deep fried goodness. Hey-o! It gets five stars from me because I really enjoy eating here - even when it's packed or the service is sketch. Mobo is integral to Santa Cruz for me, so granted - maybe I'm attaching some unscientific emotion to my review but whatevs. It's not fancy here or making-me-cry-it's-so-tasty culinary amazingness (like Minako in SF) but I always look forward to coming here - whether for a quick meal or for a birthday party when we have to sit at the huge stupid plastic-y folding table. I love the rolls that I order, I love having a big beer, I love the back patio in the summer. The service at Mobo lately has actually been pretty good.....which is weird, because normally it's not good but that's always been kindof ok & almost part of the charm. Did I mention that Mobo introduced me to the lemon+edamame combo? I'm srsly HOOKED on that for life. xo mobo por vida
(5)Shanna K.
Best sushi in town, IMO. A mix of fun, creative rolls, (both vegetarian and not), the more traditional, plus good sukiyaki, teriyaki, udon etc. All delicious. They also have very good service. They acknowlege you when you walk in the door, even if they can't help you right away. Within a few moments of being seated water is on your table, the food is delivered as fast as possible (sometimes it's really packed and busy) and as friendly as possible. And the owner, a petite and elegant looking Asian woman is always present.. overseeing everything. The fish is always fresh. I've been eating here regularly for about 5 years now and have never had issue. I also like that they have normal sized pieces. Oftentimes sushi is SO big that you can't even get it in your mouth and it's just stupid. I don't care if I'm not "getting the most for my money" or whatever... I want to be able to eat like a normal person. Hooray Mobo!
(5)Sarah S.
Been coming here for years. And it's really pretty good. They have a very creative selection of rolls. I almost always order shizo fine. It's a roll with saba and shizo leaves. Very tangy but addicting. I do not offer to share that one. I've gone with many different people over the years and always have a good time and everyone seems to enjoy their meals.
(4)Lee H.
not my favorite place for sushi in sc but its a good change from totoro and i love sushi. personally im not into fusion sushi with nuts and maybe thats why i didnt like it as much. their roles are pretty creative but i just wasnt feeling it much and neither was my friend who ordered this role thatt had ginger inside which he wasnt expecting. most of the night we kept taking ingredients out of the rolls. Also service was not the best. we waited a good 20 minutes before our order was taken and the place is pretty small. one hugee plus tho is that they have free sake bombs on ffriday and saturday nights at the bar. its literally the coolest domino effect thing ive ever seen. theres dozens of shots waiting to be tipped at 8 pm and aftterwards anyone 21+ with an id can just grab a sake bomb and go back to their sushi
(3)Jon S.
I dig it! Good rolls, friendly staff... what more can you ask for? Favorites; flying tiger, spicy tuna, guido... there are a few others but I forget the names.. The miso soup is always good too. I like that the owner can be found at the end of the bar reading.... Says to me that he actually cares about his place!
(4)Brian B.
I've only been to this restaurant a couple of times, but each time has been a whimsical experience. The first time I went there, I sat at the bar and enjoyed the regular sushi rolls I usually get at Takara. They tasted the same as Takara's, but the prices where a little higher. The second time was spent at a table with all my friends celebrating a birthday. We had affordable (and very tasty) combo boxes. They came with some sushi on the menu that none of us cared for, and our waitress let us switch around all the different types of sushi we actually wanted. There's a long list of vegetarian rolls and a plentiful amount of appetizers. They even have a "roll your own" section, which I'm anxious to try. What to look at while you're waiting for your food: At the bar, look up to see that the lights have fake cherry blossom pedals on the other side of the plastic glass. "What an idea!" I said to myself. Then I ate my sushi, because it didn't take long at all for the food to come.
(4)Lanie L.
it was a saturday night authentic asian food nowhere in sight what do i expect from santa cruz? there's only white food and bad booze but thanks to yelp i found Mobo grabbed the boyfriend and yelled "let's go!" 40 degrees, outside my feet were like ice but these 2 girls picked us up--they were really nice. they dropped us off in the parking lot and we ran inside like moths flying to where it's hot. a whole page dedicated to vegetarian rolls, i ordered Crop Burning and The Guido. the rolls were delicious! the nuts added a kick and unlike other reviews, the waitresses weren't dicks they greeted us instantly, they were really nice they even came around to fill our water twice when the bill came, there was no need to weep unless you're at 'i love sushi' on the other street. they're even open late--by that i mean 11. good food good price good service...am i in heaven?
(5)Brian H.
I was passing by Santa Cruz on the way to Monterey and found this place. I figured it was good since it was crowded but boy was I wrong. The rolls were less than sub par and I felt like I can make better. Prices were somewhat reasonable. Not again.
(2)Tyler D.
Sushi so-so, service sucks
(2)Am L.
We have been dining at Mobo Sushi since the mid-90s. We enjoy the variety of rolls and the freshness of their fish. They have a decent selection of traditional Japanese food, which is great when bringing family/friends who don't eat sushi. Our kids love their food too, and the fish tank in the smallest room helps keep young kids entertained so parents can eat. We were sad when the original owner died, as she always greeted us, and remembered our oldest child from the time she was tiny. However, her brother (or brother-in-law?) seems to have kept up the quality and consistency, even expanding the business into another large room. Reservations aren't really needed since their expansion, and they are a great place for a large party (reservations needed for those). When Santa Cruz weather permits, there is a large outside patio.
(4)Ariel M.
I have been on two first dates here, and ended up sitting in the exact same table!! Gotta love Irony! One never worked out the other lasted for over a year! As for the food, its hit or miss. Sometimes its good, other times its not so wonderful. I really think it depends of the day and how fresh the fish is. Never the less, its usually popping, on weekend nights it gets pretty busy. But for the price you can't go wrong!! And if you have friends who don't eat fish, they have the best vegetarian roll selection!! Its at least worth a try!!
(3)Noah R.
The more creative sushi is definitely the way to go here. My girlfriend and I regularly order the Banana Slug, a giant rainbow roll that can feed two. It's definitely worth it. We're also huge fans of the Pink Caddy, Corrupter, and Guido rolls. It's cheap enough to not feel like we're breaking the bank, and it still feels like a special treat.
(4)Seth E.
Mobos gets 3.5 stars in my book, I want to give it 4... It deserves 4, but I just cant bring myself to give it 4. The sushi is pretty good, the prices are fair, and there is ample room. However, it can be a bit crowded on certain days and the service is never very fast or particularly friendly. These flaws being common at sushi places generally inclines me to get my orders to go, which is easily accommodated by most restaurants. Mobos however charges a 10% fee for all take out orders, which is unreasonable considering they have to do less work for take out orders. If you're new to the area, or just haven't tried mobos it is definitely worth a shot, but don't set your expectations too high.
(3)Nichole S.
I love the vegetarian roll selection here, and I love the lunch specials. It's always a good day or night when we go to Mobos.
(4)Neil C.
Mobo has a great selection of rolls and very unique too. The service was so so and the best part was on Saturday nights they do a sake bomb waterfall. If you are 21 you just show your ID after the waterfall and you get a free sake bomb.
(4)Jeff D.
Color me pleasantly surprised. After seeing the upbeat interior, the non-Japanese sushi chefs, and the menu that serves everything, I expected an awful disaster. We ordered rolls, and what came on our plate was not a bunch of sushi with too much rice nor was the rice falling apart. In fact, it was sufficiently decent. It wasn't perfect. Some of our rolls were a bit dry. And the menu would often refer to salmon as sake (but confusingly sometimes as just "salmon" as well) in a case of bizarre eccentric behavior. In the end, it was relatively inexpensive at around $15 a person, and the service was good. I would give it a 3.5, which rounds to 4.
(4)Amber P.
I love sushi, and this is my fav place to go! Love the food and I guess the service is not always great but I've never had a real problem. The crazy kat is hands down my favorite roll maybe ever? Tyr it if you like spicy garlic and mucho flavor. This is always my birthday choice to eat out at.
(5)Tricia M.
My boyfriend and I went here two nights ago, rather late. Other places close at 9 or 10, but Mobo is open until 11pm... which is great for people who like taking late naps and procrastinating into the night, like I do. We spent a little over $40 in sushi, including two steaming hot miso soups and a huge platter filled with sushi. The waitress was really strange but very good at her job. Our sushi got to our table and into our belly faster than most restaurants can manage and our ice water, remained filled the entire time. Very good service for 10pm!!! I can't tell you what my boyfriend ordered, because he ordered 5 things, but I got the spicy tuna roll (simple, but my fav) and the Tropimaki roll... which I probably botched in spelling... but its great. Eel, macadamia nuts, and avocado... yum. The eel was smooth and nutty, just like I like it! There were two sassy blond girls sitting behind us complaining that didn't get what they wanted. The sushi chef brought them a free roll of sushi and apologized. I thought that was pretty nice of them. After all, it was almost 10:40 by the time they got there, and its a known fact that you can't always get what you want at a fresh (RAW) fish restaurant before closing. Anyhow, even though the presentation of the sushi is not to true Japanese artistic standards. I think after coming to Mobo's twice I can say the sushi is more about eating it here than experiencing as an art. I was hungry and not interested in gawking at my food on this particular evening. Nor did I let the garage sale art on the wall bother me... there was a tiger and a rino in a boat... both very random and inappropriately hung. I admit there are prettier, more authentic, places to eat sushi in Santa Cruz, but I guess that after being an inexperienced silly "white person" I don't let those things bother me too much. After all, maybe I'm just eating sushi because I think it's cool? Nope. That was sarcasm, kids. I recommend Mobos to the non-sushi snob who isn't a racist and who still has a moderate humor in tact. I enjoyed the bro-punk-hippy union going on in the restaurant, and you should too.
(4)Lee G.
Last time I reviewed, I had had a couple of bad experiences, but it seems like some good changes have been made here. A friend convinced me to try it again earlier in the week and everything we ate was delicious. Then 5 days later I went again for a birthday dinner with a group of people on a Friday night and again everything tasted great and fresh. I was worried the rush of a Friday would lessen the quality, but I love being proven wrong. The seating is a little cramped and a couple of , the waitresses have "diner" attitudes, but if you can get over those issues than it's worth giving it a try.
(4)Scott B.
I totally recommend this place and I'd rate it 4, but the prices have gone up recently it seems, and the service was slow, but the food is REALLY excellent and their 8:30 PM free Saki Bombs are bomb! I love their "build your own roll," that was just great. The wasabi was fresh and hot. All the rolls that I and my friends ordered were really tasty and fresh.
(3)Emiko T.
People give me a twisted, scrunched face when I've said Mobos is horrible. Yeah, well that's the face I ALSO had when I ate their food. It seems that either people love it or hate it and I guess I fall into the latter category on the account that even if their sushi is experimental and "fun" why does it have to actually TASTE like a science project? Bad miso, rubbery chicken and a simply unpleasant restaurant. Now that I've yelped it, I can finally rest easy :)
(1)Elizabeth M.
This is a review by a vegetarian, for vegetarians. Can't really speak to the quality of the actual, authentic sushi because the fish thing... However, any other vegetarian will know that it's difficult to find a sushi restaurant with tasty, interesting, and varied veg sushi. Usually you end up with some kappa maki and a salad, or something. Mobo has a fantastic selection of really creative vegetarian options. The seaweed salad is a good standby, but I recently tried the udon tahini appetizer. Nice and creamy, served with warm noodles and cool vegetables. The Iron Man roll is beets, spinach, smoked tofu, and shizo. It's a really interesting and delicious roll, but I found that by the end of it, the flavor of the shizo was kinda getting to me. I'd recommend sharing this roll with someone. The service here is generally great, though. The owner really takes pride in his business and freely interacts with the customers. Just wish they were open for lunch.
(4)Lilith O.
My husband and I love this place... He loves the grilled teriyaki salmon dinner. Sometimes the nice waitstaff will make him the big dinner box with salmon instead of chicken or beef. Lots of food for the price. I order from the wide selection of veggie rolls: I ask for them to come without mayonnaise and they still taste great.
(5)Gina T.
I have been eating at MOBO for 10+ years. I think it's the Best Sushi in Santa Cruz and it is my favorite place to eat in SC. Try the... Serious Nigiri Combo (espcially their fresh sake nigiri), Corruptor, Special K, Rock & Roll, Guido, & Miami Very good options for vegetarians too -- one time I happened to order all veggie rolls and the waitperson offered veggie miso soup as an option.
(5)Sara C.
This place has an awesome selection of delicious vegan sushi. Sushi is the one thing I've had a really hard time giving up since going vegan, and Mobo definitely makes the withdrawals a lot easier! I thought the service was decent, and both times I went there, there was no wait (even though I came with a party of 7 on a Saturday for one of those times). I'd definitely recommend this checking it out!
(4)Gina P.
Not a fan of Mobo at all. Simply because I'm obsessed and I do mean totally obsessed with Unagi, and frankly their unagi always tastes weird. Not really crazy about the staff either. I feel like there are many other places you get get better sushi within 10 minutes of this place.
(1)Jaime K.
I really like this place. My friend introduced me to this place and I was impressed with the sushi and the great prices. The crowd is really diverse here but its super causal and relaxed--can be a bit loud though. I really like the special k roll. The portions are big and all the rolls I've tried are super yum!
(4)Ryan J.
Totally fine sushi place. Been here probably 30 times. Pretty quick, pretty consistant quality, fast service. One time I sat down and wasnt served and left but thats like 1/30. Whatever, every place deserves a fluke. I like this place much more for their rolls than their nigiri or sashimi. The serpent tiger roll with the tempura prawn and unagi is pretty badass. If I read another review of a sushi place with some random white guy calling it overpriced I am probably going to snap. Wow sushi is expensive who would have thought? To say Mobo is MORE expensive than the other places in santa cruz is just flat out incorrect. So I guess I just wanted to clarify that part of the restaurant. It was never the price that bothered me, the fish could be a bit better though, but yeah, like i said before, totally serviceable Japanese place.
(3)tor h.
So we ordered from Mobo because "they are the best sushi in town." That's what the hotel said. I was psyched. I looooooooove sushi. I always seek it out, whether in NYC, LA or, well, anywhere. I've had great sushi. This was not it. The salmon sushi was dry and looked old, not shiny and fresh, but almost foggy in color. The tuna roll was okay, but somehow smaller than most rolls. I will say the miso soup was great and the seaweed salad is a must, but overall, really just okay. Great sushi will leave you sated, but bot feeling overly full. I went away with a bit of a pit in my stomach. The worst, though, was arriving back at the hotel to discover they didn't include soy sauce packets in the bag. When I called to ask about it (after already driving 10 minutes in the rain), they said they don't do that automatically, but ask the customer if they would like it. Don't include soy sauce in the bag automatically!????? Inexcusable. Absurd. Last I checked there wasn't a soy sauce shortage.
(2)Will C.
On one hand I'm a bit surprised that Mobo is probably the most popular sushi join in Santa Cruz. It's extremely expensive considering the slightly inauthentic taste, almost always crowded and loud, and the service is somewhat mediocre on occasion. So why do I keep coming back? Partly the reason is because Mobo does have a few positives up their sleeves. They've got a nice selection compared to some places which have smaller menus - and isn't more choice always a good choice? Another nice thing, as some have pointed out, is that the place is open until eleven o'clock, later than the majority of the shops downtown! It's the perfect pre-midnight movie meal before going to see - oh, let's just "Spirited Away" or some other Ghibli film. Still, the suffocating atmosphere and pricey food really puts a huge dent in the dining experience at Mobo, which is one of the reasons why I don't really like it that much. I much prefer Benten, which is more authentic, slightly less expensive, and has a much nicer, calmer vibe to it. Even if it doesn't stay open as late or serve donburi for dinner.
(3)Q T.
Always fantastic sushi! The servers are helpful. Some nights can get pretty busy so plan accordingly. Last time I went I tried the Tazuna roll. It was a California roll topped with nigiri style sushi and made to look like a dragon. It was $18 but it was like getting 3-4 rolls. I was told that every time it is made differently, so I think I will go back and try it again. Yummmmmmmm I have not had a bad experience here yet.
(5)Sandra H.
Cool decor, lots of parking (don't let the strip mall location scare you away) - EXCELLENT sushi!!! Lots of incredible combinations, plus very clearly marked vegetarian and vegan selections. The fish was beautiful and fresh. Try it today!!!
(4)Jason C.
Vegetarians and Vegans here's your haven. Awesomely original sushi and taki rolls. The Snowball (not snow roll) with mandarine oranges! A lot of vegetables are a bit too big to bite easily, but it's got fresh spunk. I swear you had to be high to come up with most of the combinations. They're so out there. I would sub some of the ingredients for ones I thought fit better. It's definitely an inspiration into creative sushi combinations. You've got to try at least one. Hopefully you get the combination you like so you'll be brave enough to try another. Hey many of the combinations aren't for everyone, yet sushi is so common place here's one that challenges the sushi stereotype. Go for it if anything else just to defy sushi One roll is about 4-6 dollars and be warned that you might need that extra kick in your soy sauce for a bit of flavor. If you're looking for your run of the mill standard sushi joint you might just try a chain like sushi boat. Their regular style sushi isn't all that great. Frankly I feel like a little adventure and imagination is good for the soul.
(5)Emmanuel B.
I was steered to Mobo by a friend of mine that went to UCSC. I have to say, it we pretty good. Not great, but good. But, definitely the best sushi I've had in Santa Cruz County. McRandy Roll is rad! Great vibe, parking sucks because they share a parking lot with Trader Joe's and Longs. I'd go back though.
(3)M L.
Disappointing doesn't even begin to describe tonight's experience. I drove an hour just to go here with my son and husband for an early Mother's Day treat for me as a vegetarian. Evening was totally ruined by a lousy dish of "Roc n Roll" served to my husband and son. It was bad enough that it tasted horrible (due to bad Unagi). It added insult to injury that the manager would not take it back. I spoke with the manager twice because I was so incredulous the first time that this was actually happening. The second time, the truth came out that - she said they don't take dishes back because they could "go out of business" by losing money when customers do that. Well, for the cost of a $6.25 plate of maki, they have lost my business permanently, as well as earned themselves a one star review on Yelp and a call to the Santa Cruz health department on Monday. I told her that other restaurants don't treat their customers as potential fraudsters and seem to do well. It's more likely that you'll go out of business with this lousy customer service. I highly recommend that you take this as a lesson in what might happen to you as well if you run into a bad piece of sushi at Mobo. Food sitting around seems more likely since the place was half empty on a Saturday night from 7-8pm; something's up with this place and seems like I just was unlucky enough to not be in the know before I got there. Other Yelpers beware!
(1)Khanh T.
Their service was good, but their sushi sucks. I was really craving for sushi this one day and I decided to try Mobo Sushi after hearing reviews from my friends. One thing that they did mention was that they have only eaten the warm/hot meals there and not the sushi. I should have taken that note into consideration. Their sushi rice was not flavored at all (you know, the vinegar and all that good stuff that should be in sushi rice), it just tasted like regular cooked rice. The rolls were not neatly rolled, it was pretty sloppy. It just wasn't pleasant overall. My waitress didn't really get my order right, but it's fine, I didn't really care at that point. The servers were nice though, but if I was ever brought here to eat, I think I'll just stick to trying the hot foods instead of the sushi.
(1)Candy Y.
rolls were alright, all just smaller than expected at least they were not drowned in weird mayo sauce got the landshark, mercedes benz, spicy big mac also had the Nabeyaki Udon and Giyuniku Udon i had the nabeyaki udon and omg it was burning hot which was awesome and i guess the way it's supposed to be but i had a difficult time eating it because it was so hot. too bad, i was disappointed with the soup of the udon. it was sour-ish the first time i tried their udon, the soup was delish. guess i remembered wrong. of all the sushi places in santa cruz, probably the best food but the service, omg, their service is sooooooo slow. every part of it took so incredibly long. even on a tuesday night, the service was so slow. really? and one time we changed tables twice and found that both tables were rocky and so settled for the less rocky table. the restaurant doesn't seem super clean, either. i don't go to Mobo unless i have 2+ hours to waste on dinner.
(2)Kristina R.
I really like Mobo sushi - it is the first one in Santa Cruz I tried. What I like best is their unique selection of rolls - my favorite you can ONLY get here is the Guido. The atmosphere is also relaxed and the prices are pretty decent. I will say I also like Shogun, Pink Godzilla, and one out on Soquel ( I cannot remember the name)...but Mobo is always home base for sushi.
(4)Heidi P.
This used to be my favorite sushi place. Then I had good fish. The rolls are amazing combinations. The flavors and creativity are wonderful. The last two times I went the fish tasted... fishy. I love the wonderful combination rolls. Macadamia nuts, garlic, basil, oranges, I love their use of different ingredients in the rolls. I just wish the fish was better.
(4)Robert G.
I wasnt to impressed with this place, however the sushi is okay and the selection is alright, I think this place has been around so long that people just automatically think of it as the best...Its alright but nothing I would run home to tell my family about..
(3)Matthew M.
This is definitely the best Japanese restaurant within the City of Santa Cruz. The menu is enormous and sure to satisfy even the most non-adventurous tastes. That, fortunately, would not be me; I greatly enjoyed their Ojos de Chupacabra that was one of the October specials (raw quail eggs over spicy tuna). Yes, that's exotic, and definitely not a roll one would find in Japan, but it's an extreme example of the chefs' creative ranges. I usually enjoy my personal favorite staples of Philly Roll, Beamer Roll, Rainbow Roll, and Maguro Sashimi. Their Bento Boxes are also a decent deal. The place is big, and the two best places to sit are in the room with the fish tanks, and the rear patio.
(5)Ammy D.
Mobo is... trendy sushi. It's innovative rolls, it's not a place for a true sushi lover - the flavors of the fish are overpowered by the ingredients of the rolls - which is good, because the fish isn't that great. Don't get me wrong, I really like Mobo's for what it is - not a place for sushi, but a place for creative maki aside - Mobo's is very nice. They are the type of place you can take a non-sushi person, because they have other stuff, and a really nice, relaxing (near the back, not in thier big center dining area) ambiance. Good service as well.
(3)Annie P.
Love coming here. They have great service and great food. I love getting the udon in the stone pot and a flying tiger roll. Its so much food and so filling. I usually go with a friend and we both order the same thing. We just love coming here. It pretty affordable and tasty. Their lunch combo is also great.
(4)Lauren A.
Their sushi is the best so far, that I have ever tried. The staff are all very friendly and on Saturday nights, the owner gives free sake bombs to everyone. The only thing that I and my table didn't like, is it took over 2 hours to get our food :(
(3)Kitt J.
Here's another vote for the snowball maki. Honestly, this roll has instilled in me a sense of disdain for every other sushi restaurant I've experienced thus far. Also, I spent two years in Santa Cruz and hated almost every second of it. But I miss Mobo. That is the only thing I really, truly miss about Santa Cruz with any sincere heartache. They have an epic selection of nigiri, sashimi, maki and vegetarian options as well as hot foods, tempura, and other such items. But as far as prices go, I can see how some people view the place as "overrated." Personally, I think it's the best sushi restaurant I have been to in the country, on either coast, in any state. I have yet to find better at any sort of reasonable price. Plus the miso soup is great. The only place that has better is the sushi restaurant on West Mission near Cafe Brasil.
(5)Somala A.
First of all, they actually serve their edamame steaming hot! I prefer that over cold edamame, so they get a plus for that =) Next, the place was really packed because it was a holiday weekend, and it seemed like everyone in Santa Cruz had sushi on their mind. So we thought that it was going to take forever to get our order. The waitress took a while to get to us, but the food was out really quick! I was especially impressed with the speed of their service =) As for the rolls. We ordered the Special K, Corrupter, Snowball, philly roll, and tekka maki. All were very good! I would especially recommend the Special K. That was my favorite out of all of them.
(5)Tiffany O.
i really do not like this place! i got a udon and it tasted like chicken broth with noodles and chicken. my boyfriend got chicken terriyaki and it was nothing extraordinary. it wasnt even great. how do you not perfect chicken terriyaki. overall... blah eww
(1)Miss P.
i had the udon dish...they have one udon dish with "succulent beef" and one with just "beef"...i had the latter, because it included a tempura prawn. i thought i could sacrifice succulent beef for a tempura prawn. of course i didn't get the tempura prawn. and of course, i didn't figure this out until half-way through the meal. guess i was distracted by dinner conversation and such. anyway, they were nice enough to give me my tempura, plus an extra one because they felt bad about leaving it off. anyway, it was edible...not the greatest...and it left me wondering what the succulent beef would have tasted like, because i got the chewy beef version. they have some different type rolls. we got this "dessert" roll, that had avocado, macadamia nuts, and a mandarin orange slice (canned)...it was kinda weird. i'm not sure why they had wasabi on the plate, as it was a "dessert" roll...even though it wasn't on the dessert menu. so confusing. anyway, i commented on the fact that it was strange that they had wasabi on the plate, to which one of my dining partners answered that i didn't need to eat it...which wasn't really the point of my comment, but okaaaay. well, bottom-line, i'm not really a sushi fan, but i had been craving Japanese lately, and this spot really didn't do it for me. and my dad would completely flip over the lack of authenticity of this joint, but that's neither here nor there....
(3)Mimi B.
Mobo is a great "everyday" sushi restaurant. The rolls are great, service is superb - food comes out lightning quick (usually) and the price is not bad. Large selection of unique rolls, both vegetarian and non. Also includes great appetizers, with the usual Japanese fare (sukiyaki, seaweed salad, green salad (the miso dressing is THE best), miso soup, tempura, etc) My favorite rolls include the Flying Tiger, Moon Cruzer, Smoke Slammin'.... mmm... I'm getting hungry! Parking may be a pain sometimes, depending on the time and day, however it's usually not a big deal as there is a large parking structure on the other side of Mobo. One of my favorite perks about Mobo is that they are always really cool about splitting the check and paying on multiple cards, so it's a great place to bring a group.
(4)debbie h.
Mobo is fun and chill. Parking is easy since it's inside a shopping center. Order some sake bombs and maybe the overwhelming rice surrounding your rolls won't be so bad. The combination of flavors in their rolls, like macadamia nut and mango are interesting, but the mediocre fish quality and over riced nibbles kill the rolls. I've eaten here twice, and both time my group had plenty of leftovers...not good at sushi.
(3)bridget h.
I have a pretty high standard for sushi since I frequent a lot of japanese restaurants in the city. This is the least authentic japanese restaurant I've ever seen. The wasabi was a manufactured-out-of-a-box cube of blob! Can you say eww? Some of the sushi rolls are offered with cashews, macadamia nut, and other weird ingredients. I mean, come on, what kind of authentic Japanese restaurants offers these?! But, I do have to applaud their wide range of sushi rolls. On to the sushi itself.. I ordered the unagi (i think Rock n Roll or something like that) and the shrimp tempera roll. Both were thinly sliced and over-priced for the number of slices. The unagi did not taste fresh and lacked the teriyaki flavor it usually has. The shrimp tempera did not even taste like tempera. The shrimp was barely fried and had no crisp to it. The restaurant was extremely noisy. I couldn't even hear what my friends were saying that were seated across from me. The seating was horrible also. We sat at a plastic Tupperware-esque table that seemed like little kids would play on. You'll have better luck at Masago. They are over-priced too, but at least the sushi tasted better.
(2)Mailee H.
Meh. After moving to Santa Cruz I've been lazily on the hunt for a good sushi restaurant, and this one doesn't quite make the cut. It's location is a little odd; right next door to a Trader Joe's, but that's not a big deal, I just thought it was worth commenting on. My boyfriend and I went around 5:30pm, and the interior of the place was so dark! It's a typical "fancy restaurant" ambiance, except they had really cute orange streamers all over the place in celebration of Halloween. Nice hardwood floors, sort of strange floor plan, and it's a little cluttered. We ate outside. The outdoor seating was quite nice; there was a peaceful fountain and really calming greenery. It wasn't exceptional, but it was certainly pleasant. The women's bathroom has really odd bathroom stall doors... they're on the kitschy side. The waitresses had the same degree of kitsch: "Asiatic" tops and high hair buns. It didn't bother me, but I thought it was kind of funny! For the price, the food was just okay. I don't consider myself a sushi connoisseur, but I certainly won't eat just anything! We got a couple of bento box meals. The temperature of the sashimi was just right, and the fish itself was decent. Nothing to write home about, but definitely not terrible. The cuts were incorrect, but again that's not a huge deal. The tempura and chicken teriyaki were on the iffy side; some of the vegetables in the tempura were really oily or just too "meaty" and the teriyaki was mediocre, but teriyaki is a bit of a toughie. The nigiri was really poorly constructed, and the only reason I comment on this is because it was impossible to pick up without it falling apart! I've been using chopsticks my entire life so I thought my boyfriend was just bad at it, but when I wasn't able to it was a little odd. The salad dressing was terrible! It was sickly sweet. The pickles were quite good though. We got a lot of food, but it was still really expensive for what we got, in my opinion. The server was really loud! :P She was also really rushed, which was fine since we got out fast, but she seemed eager to be elsewhere. All things considered, I wouldn't recommend the place, but I wouldn't tell anyone to avoid it either. Personally I won't be making a return trip.
(3)Sarah C.
My family, friends, and I are all frequent diners at Mobo Sushi! The sushi always taste very fresh, and it is always delicious. The staff is very accommodating, the our order always comes out quickly. Mobo Sushi has always been my go to sushi place in the area, and I cannot see that changing ANY time soon as long as I am in the Santa Cruz area! P.S. The owner does a sake bomb lineup on the weekends, and anyone who shows a valid ID gets a complimentary sake bomb (while sake/beer filled glasses last)! Need I say more? :P
(5)Jessica H.
I used to love Mobo.....it was always fun and reasonably priced. However, the last time I went for lunch I was so disappointed. The prices had gone up, which I can understand. However, the quality dropped. Sometimes places have off days. But the one thing that will prevent me from returning is the rice. Sushi at it's heart is the delicate dance between rice and vinegar. The rice is what makes the sushi. This rice was totally underseasoned, I couldn't taste any vinegar whatsoever. It caused the maki to fall flat, and actually detracted from the nigiri. I can only hope that the particular sushi chef working that day was out of it, because Mobo really is a fun place.
(2)J. G.
I always wonder why I keep going back. The decor is old and stale like the napkins they have had since the restaurant first opened. Plates ugly and abused. Walls sad and in need of a paint job, a nice dust coating on the awning over the bar. The grossest bathroom besides I Love Sushi. But now higher prices and less fish in the rolls? My spicy big mac had so little fish I almost sent it back. I have to tell myself to stop going here it just wastes my money. My reviews don't matter to the business and neither does my business. Sushi Blossom is so much higher quality. Worth the drive to Scotts Valley PS: Enjoyed being jolted out of my seat twice by a group behind us pounding their sake bombs on the table and hollering out. Totally made the experience :-(
(2)Nicole L.
Mobo's continues to be a Santa Cruz staple. Good sushi, decent prices, and alcohol. What more could one ask for? I revisited this place from my past and had a mixed experience. It was dead on a midweek rainy day, and the hostess initially tried to sit us right next to another group of two- of ALL the other open places in the restaurant that's the one she chose? We asked to move. She complied and seemed a bit flustered about it. Eh, whatever. Waitress was good, but food order was off. I didn't get my tea until nearly the end of the meal, and both friends' rolls came out way before my sashimi. Sashimi was pretty good- hamachi. I still can't compare anybody to Kru, as we're spoiled here in Sac. If you like big rolls with lots of creative additions, and you like cocktails, Mobo's is great. Service is variable. I remember much more friendly folks from my earlier days, but everyone's entitled to an off day. Sashimi is good. Not knock-your-socks off great, but good. 3.5 stars if I could. Yes, I'd come here again if my friends really wanted to go, but I'd probably try another place for sushi in the area first.
(3)John L.
To set the bar - I take people from Japan to this place. One of my favorite Sushi places in Santa Cruz. They break the mold on non traditional sushi roll combo's that st restaurants try to replicate. Sushi is very fresh and great cuts. They even have fresh fatty tuna if you call in advance. It can get busy. Be prepared with a beer or sake and an appetizer so you enjoy the wait. Note: Friday nights, they do a sake bomb waterfall which is pretty fun.
(4)melanie m.
I've been going to Mobo Sushi for years and they are my favorite by far. I've eaten at many other places in Santa Cruz county but this place is still #1 for me. Great value, great service and high quality. Love everything. :)
(5)dave m.
Our go-to sushi spot in Santa Cruz! Love this place!!! Eliminator, Maui Waui, Death Star, so many great rolls to choose from!!
(5)Roy N.
Came here for lunch while visiting Santa Cruz to visit UCSC. Excellent meal and good atmosphere.
(4)KT B.
Ugh!!! Horrible food poisoning at Mobo tonight....I've been dining there for 20 years ! never had this experience. We ordered a tiger shrimp special roll, after edamame, an appetizer pepper roll, and I was the only one who ordered and consumed Unagi. As we drove home, I knew I was going to be sick....10 minutes later, I threw up 4 times and had diarrhea. Not fun! I called the manager, Joon, who was not there, but spoke with Kevin,an assistant. I told him to get that Unagi off the menu. He said he would check it and for me to seek medical help. Now, an hour later, I feel better after several trips to the bathroom and lots of water. No more MOBO for me for a very long time!
(1)Katie W.
Have been coming to Mobo for a long time now and it never disappoints! It has been our favorite sushi place for many years. It is not "traditional" sushi- although it can be. But they excel at blending flavors that you don't find at other sushi places, and that's why it remains one of the best.
(5)Eunice L.
This is such a nice sushi place! I was a first-timer last weekend and I was not disappointed. The prices are reasonable, and the food was really good for the most part! The only complaint I'd have is probably the presentation of the food. It definitely could have been a little more appealing, but the taste was great so it balanced out. My friends and I really liked the flying tiger here, so I'd definitely recommend that one. The service was great too! Everyone was super friendly and the food came out really quickly for a sushi place. I'd definitely be up for coming here again!
(4)Katherine A.
I love Mobo's! It's always my go-to spot with friends whenever we have guests in town! We were seated pretty fast and on a friday night, as well! Our waitress was extremely nice and knew exactly what we needed. They have a great selection of special rolls and are uniquely prepared! My favorite is the Salmon Bakr, also known as, the Lion King. It's HUGE! You're able to get a good taste of all the ingredients, especially the salmon. It's a little pricey but I think it is definitely worth it if you're really hungry! You can also call and pick up sushi!
(5)Yvette A.
First Timer.. Good Service, no wait on being seated and on a Friday Night. The Sushi rolls and Chicken Teriyaki were delicious. Not the best sushi I've had but was good in flavor. The owner stopped everyone from eating and free saki bomb drinks for everyone on the house. Great atmosphere!! Will return..
(4)Lisa H.
I came into Mobos for the first time today, and was definitely disappointed. The rolls here were decent, but the service was terrible. But the thing that really put me off is the salmon sashimi that I got. One of the pieces didn't have the skin completely cut off so there was a weird white leathery glue texture left on the outside. I couldn't stand the feeling against my tongue, and I couldn't believe they would serve that. Because of that I'll never come back.
(2)Jim M.
Second time here. Great sushi and a fun selection. Liberal use of macadamia nuts and other creative ingredients, which I liked. Plenty of traditional favorites too if you are into that. I had the Death Star (Fully Operational) and some Tempura Bananas with coconut ice cream. Fast and friendly survive. I'll be back.
(4)Jenner B.
This is a good "American" sushi place. It's big, great for groups, no surprise sushi menu, and they have a wide fun selection of drinks. The food taste ok, but the service is young , fast and the place is surfer casual. Call ahead and make reservations because the place is busy almost everyday.
(3)H P.
The minus one star is because sometimes the seating isnt very desirable, and sometimes the waitresses arent soo great. But usually they are really nice and helpful. Mobos is a nice, fun, lively sushi place. Great for going out with friends, especially since its pretty much in downtown near all the clubs bars etc. The sushi has been good everytime and I always try something new. Ive had raw fish here too and never had a problem. They are a clean restaurant. Fish tank is really entertaining! I like the atmosphere a lot, its colorful and exciting. I cant bring myself to try a new sushi place because my boyfriend and I like this one so much :)
(4)Betty L.
My husband and I decided to try it out. We recently just moved to CA from Japan so our standards are a bit high perhaps. It was of course a bit pricey as sushi always seems to be in the US. We had 4 rolls. The Nor-Cal was the most delicious, but also most expensive. So good though. We were fighting over the pieces. Eliminator was next best. Macadamia nuts and eel are awesome. Pink Caddy. Was mediocre. I got it because I love salmon. The hamachi in the roll was a bit meh. The last roll (I forget the name) that was on specialty menu. It was the spicy scallop with mandarin oranges roll. That one was the worst one and I do NOT recommend it at all. Wish I got something else because neither of us wanted to finish it. I love scallop but the spice (sriracha?) they use it overpowering and you cannot even taste the fish. I guess it is made spicy tuna style, when I expected spicy mayo style. The oranges were an interesting idea but it just turned into a confusing mess of spicy citrus in your mouth. The service was fine. Nothing extraordinary or terrible about it.
(3)B B.
Pretty good sushi and very friendly service. We went to Santa Cruz for the weekend and searched for a good sushi place and chose Mobo. Not the best sushi and not the worst. Pretty average and the rolls are a bit lack luster. We liked everything we got and the fish was fresh. We had salmon sushi, Moon Cruiser, 10 piece seared tuna and another roll that I cannot remember. Saki bombs were fun and the staff was very friendly and willing to make anything custom. We would return if in the neighborhood.
(3)Taryn O.
Friendly staff, excellent food. Lots to choose from! I highly recommend the Crop Burning vegetarian roll. Also the bento boxes are pricey but you get a LOT of food. Totally with every penny.
(5)Sophie P.
Very good sushi, interesting rolls, really nice staff but a little pricey. Also, no lunch special on weekends. Would reccomend.
(4)Bruno L.
Fun Sushi ! Quality ok. Creative combinations for the rolls. A plus is that you can build your own roll. It has a nice vibe. Friendly staff, and I could see that they enjoy being there. Attentive too. Sadly the cheap glasses don't do justice to the actual quality of cocktails.
(4)Eddie S.
Mobo is good, but not great, but certainly a win as the prices are amongst the fairest in town. I've known a good number of people that really enjoy this place for the vegetarian sushi options. The vegetarian sushi is actually pretty decent, but personally I'm looking more for some quality fish in my rolls. In this regard, they're merely okay, as there's not too much a selection. Still, for what they do offer, it's usually fairly tasty. Another highlight is the sake bomb show and subsequent free sake bomb on Friday and Saturday nights. Be there at 8 PM for a round on the house!
(4)Leah N.
This place legit rocked my world. I was in Santa Cruz this past weekend for my brother in laws graduation (Go Slugs!) and we went here post ceremony. I was majorly impressed with their roll selection - tons of unique rolls I've never seen or heard of before. Their vegetarian and vegan selection was the lengthiest I've ever seen. We started with a pickle appetizer that was amazing. I ordered the Vega Maki I think it was called and it was so good. Not traditional but amazing!
(5)Brittany W.
Very disappointed! We went here for the lunch special thinking we would be in and out today. It took them 30 minutes to bring us the small lunch special so we told them to please box it up as we have to get back to work. She then came back with the wrong bill, which she already ran on my card and so we had to go through the voiding process making me VERY late. We will never be back. I Love Sushi will be our "go to" place. The service at I Love Sushi is a million times better than this place. Also our sushi was warm and we only work 10 minutes away and mushi, not firm. Not pleased at all! Bleck!
(1)Chris K.
Very very disappointed this time. Inattentive service. Took forever. Not even crowded. Rang my bill up $10 over, in error. Tried to tell me it was taxes...until I added up my entrees on my own calculator.... Good grief. OMG-they just tired to charge me again....as they have me my order. Holy Cow...scary disorganized....in here.
(2)Jess M.
Mobo is my favorite sushi place in Santa Cruz. The fish is always very fresh and flavorful, and I love the combination of flavors in their rolls. My favorites are the Beamer, The Surfing Asparagus, and the Death Star. The gyoza and tempura veggies are also very good - I love the dipping sauce that comes with the tempura! If you are vegetarian, they have a ton of vegetarian rolls. Many of my friends really love the Crop Burning. We always get our rolls with soy paper instead of seaweed . It is much less chewy/heavy and allows for greater enjoyment of the fish and flavors. It is an extra dollar or two to substitute, but well worth it. My husband and I always sit at the sushi bar, unless we are with others. The sushi chefs are great! We usually have excellent service at the sushi bar, but when sitting at tables service can sometimes be slow. One thing that I love about Mobo is that your water glass is always refilled as it gets low, quickly and without having to ask. I try to drink a lot of water, so I really dislike restaurants where you can sit almost your entire meal with an empty water glass and no one to even ask to refill it. Given that we usually get sake to drink and enjoy with our food, lots of water is a must! The only thing that keeps me from giving 5 stars is that we have ordered takeout a number of times, and the takeout food can be hit or miss. Sometimes there is much less fish in the rolls than any time we have eaten there.
(4)Gretchen R.
Extremely over priced. Lunch bento box with teriyaki salmon $26. wtf! I didn't notice the price until I got the bill. I ordered sashimi and got nigiri instead. On top of that there was loud tom petty music playing. I hate tom petty and that's all that was playing. pure torture!! And the sushi was nothing special at all.
(1)Bill E.
Located in the heart of Santa Cruz, just off the main street, and adjacent to Trader Joe's. Very nice place to meet friends, enjoy a meal on the patio, and savor the variety of Japanese flavors in their daily lunch bento boxes. More food than you will actually need and all at a price which won't break the bank.
(4)Nicole H.
LOVE this place! When we used to live in Santa Cruz, we ate here all the time. We even have a regular order-Corrupter (THE BEST), Krazy Kat (with dry spice instead of the spicy mayo stuff) and Presto Maki. We never had a bad experience here-food always fresh, quick and consistently amazing. Mobo is what I miss most about moving over the hill.
(5)Jackee K.
Free sake bombs. (Not every night, but hey..) That is all.
(5)Scott S.
A new coworker recommended Mobo to me, saying the lunch special was "a ton of food". She was right. For $8.50, you get a the usual soup, and a choice of vegetable tempura, chicken or beef terriyaki, California rolls or veggie equivalent, rice and salad The service is fast and the portions large. I'd come back just for the lunch special. I'm also looking forward to trying out the sushi.
(3)Bridget C.
I've been a vegetarian my whole life, and normally when I go to Japanese restaurants, the vegetarian options are seriously limited (cucumber rolls). Mobo has amazing vegetarian options (Miami Roll, Guido Roll) that I keep coming back for. They also have vegetarian miso, which quite often isn't an option at other restaurants. Not only that, but the staff is really friendly. Many of them recognize me and ask me how my parents are, since I've been eating here for the past six years. In conclusion, everything is fresh and delicious, the people are nice, and I eat here whenever I'm in Santa Cruz.
(5)Amy Y.
Any sushi place can trick you with creative rolls, beautiful colors, add some fatty crunchy factors on it, drench it in fat laden mayo based sauce= it's hard to tell what kind of flavor your fish had, but pretty much nothing can taste bad after this kind of treatment. So for the truth test, i went for the chirashi. Which is nothing but a spread of raw seafood (mine came with octopus along with assorted fish) over sushi rice. Mobo's Chirashi surprised me on how good it was! What really blew me away was the mackerel (saba) tasted fresh and sweet- not a hint of fishiness. Would love to come back!
(4)Denise A.
I Love this place! Every time my BF and I are in Santa Cruz we come to Mobo Sushi. From all of the sushi restaurants we have been to this is the most vegetarian friendly. Offering a wide selection of vegetarian options Mobo never fails to tantalize the taste buds. This time around we happened to have a craving for Mobo on a Friday night around 8-9pm. When we arrived there was about a 10 minute wait. We were seated in the outdoor patio area that is nicely heated and surprisingly warm. Upon entering we saw the owner busy by the bar area setting up a great deal of glasses, we thought nothing of it and sat down to relax and order our dinner. The ambiance and decor is nothing to write home about, but the vegetarian selection definitely makes up for it. After being seated it was quite awhile before we saw a server so we ordered a lot of food since we were hungry and did not want to risk waiting forever again LOL. (Keep in mind this place was PACKED to the brim so it's not like we were waiting just because they were slow.) About 20 minutes into us being there after the waitress came out and told us about a giant sake bomb and free sake bombs...um okay, we're in! So we finally figured out the glasses that the owner was setting up were for the giant sake bomb. Everyone gathered around and he announced the rules and had us all count down..5...4...3...2..1... SAKE BOMB! Then he let the first shot glass go and around they went like a chain of dominos. Next thing you know the bar is surrounded by a sea of thirsty, bargain hunting partons. This place is always a good time. Delicious, fresh, inexpensive sushi and free Sake Bombs! SOLD!!!
(4)Helen M.
Good sushi! Good variety! Also they do this really cool domino sake bomb! You have to see it! Service can be kind of slow and food is kind of overpriced, but good for group dinners!
(3)Millsy M.
Mobo Sushi has held a spot in my heart since my undergrad days at UCSC. Once upon it was "The Place", amazing service, outstanding quality fish and a great vibe. Sorry to report it is no longer so. After a long anticipated wait we made our way there for dinner last night. What a come-down. Our service was great, but the food really lacked any refinement or polish. The portions, while huge, are bland. We ordered "Tuna my heart" expecting toro tuna over rice that stood alone. What we were served was a huge stack of rice with too much too much mounded cafeteria style with really tough fishy over done tuna on top. * sigh* Maybe we've grown up, moved to a big city with a higher grade of Japanese cuisine, maybe Mobo has slipped, or maybe the smoke and haze of being UCSC students has cleared and I can see what this place is.
(3)Joy M.
My friends took me here for dinner before. I wasn't too impressed with anything. They had some interesting unique rolls that caught my attention but when the food arrived the rolls were messy, very small (the size of probably a quarter in diameter), and the rice was not fresh. The fish had a very old taste to them and the service was very poor. The waitress seemed to really dislike her job. The location was not that great either. Everyone says this place is the best in SC but I really disagree. But I guess if you want to pay college prices, then sure.
(2)Kailey O.
get the bento box for lunch. its 8.95 and can feed you for two meals. it comes with miso soup to start, pickled cucumbers?? (does that just mean pickles?), choice of beef, chicken, or veggie terriyaki (i got chicken), house salad, 5 sushi pieces (i got the california roll) broccoli and carrots, and a glob of rice. WHEW that was a mouthful. ;) we sat outside for lunch, but since there were hardly anyone in the restaurant, i think our waitress forgot about us a couple of times. we ended up having to walk inside to pay our bill.. no biggie. i love going to dinner here, but you can't beat these lunch prices!
(4)Jen O.
Though not as highly ranked as I Love Sushi, I'm siding with Mobo Sushi since its much more reasonably priced. I know you get free appetizers at the other place, but its not worth the significantly higher prices per roll, IMHO. We started off with the Starstruck and Spicy Scallop Burner rolls. True to its word the latter indeed had a burn to it. We wanted to order seconds, but with a little less kick. We asked for the Pink Caddy roll without the spicy sauce, but our server told us that we couldn't order it sans the sauce. She assured us that it really wasn't that spicy, so we decided to give it a shot, which ended up being a good call since she wasn't lyin'.
(3)Sparkle Rachel B.
Wonderful original rolls and great quality fish. The service is friendly and the vibe is cool. I would definitely recommend the Spicy Big Mac.
(4)Andrea M.
I went in twice to give it another shot because I thought maybe I was off. I have eaten in some of the most awesome places so I think I might just be a bit jaded when it comes to Sushi. I like Akira in Seabright-they are more my speed but I want something downtown I can walk to. I will have to keep looking as this place is BORING. An order of Nigiri Unagi (which was totally cold, not warmed at all) is $6.95. Just seems high to me and the quality is just alright. Rolls are just OK, not blown away, seems pricey for what you get. Value and quality are what I look for and if both are missing, it's not likely to be a win. Also totally turned off by the Sushi guy behind the bar who was hitting on a server very blatantly in the midst of service across the sushi bar. Gross, I don't need to hear and see that during my boring sushi lunch. I guess at least it added some drama since the cheap plastic plateware was clearly missing drama of any level. Oh, and the gross sticky soy sauce bottle I had to pick up with the same hands I was eating with just dropped a star off the rating. Sorry Mobo, it's a 'no go.'
(2)Deanna A.
This is one of my favorite sushi places. I have lunch here several times a month and am usually seated and served in no time. The price is moderate, but I don't mind as I am hesitant to eat cheap, raw fish. The wait-staff are friendly and the sushi chefs are awesome! I have gotten many of my coworkers hooked on this place!
(5)Rosa J.
Not a big fan of Mobo. I have been there a couple times because all my friends say it's really good, but every time I go I walk away unsatisfied and still pretty hungry. I've heard you have to know what to get, but their specialties must be few and far between. It's also pretty pricy for how much (or rather, how little) food you get.
(2)Chava Libbe S.
Is it me, or has this place gotten better recently, or have other places just gotten worse? Whatever - great experience this last time out. One of the few places in Santa Cruz that isn't doing the bait-and-switch on hamachi - they served me the real thing and it was fresh and delicious. Yum yummers tempura, friendly service. Maybe the key here is to go on a Sunday when it's not crowded. I'm still no fan of bagged tea or of their prices, but I'm going to be giving Mobo another chance in the near future.
(3)Rebecca M.
The vegetarian menu is the best I've ever seen. And the rolls are decently priced, so I always try two. The Miami roll and Crop Burning are two of my favorites, although the simpler ones are just as satisfying.
(5)Amy C.
Not what I expected from a sushi restaurant. Food was poorly executed and tasted bland. I couldn't tell the differences in the flavor and taste of each specific roll as they all taste the same. ***Recommended: N/A **Highlights: N/A *Low points: poorly made sushi overall
(1)Stephen D.
Combination Chinese/Japanese cuisine? Deep fry any roll for $1? Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... It's like if Burger King made sushi.
(2)Roxy D.
We first found this place because we wanted dinner delivered, and Yelp said this place delivers. But they DON'T! So lazy, hungry people be advised: you have to actually go to the restaurant to get your food. I really liked the food. As a vegan, I especially appreciated the fact that there was a whole vegetarian section of the menu, with vegan items clearly marked. They were pretty creative too! I'm used to being relegated to eating the boring old avocado/cucumber/carrot rolls, but this place has a lot more variety: cashews, macadamia nuts, broccoli, mushrooms, and a whole bunch of Japanese vegetables that were tasty even though I have no idea what they are. My boyfriend had the teriyaki chicken, though, and described it as meh. Our housemate said they were friendly and nice when she went to pick up our food, and offered her water while she waited. So that's nice. I'd definitely eat there or order takeout from them again.
(4)Kirra P.
good sushi, but great specialty rolls. If you are there at the right time on Friday you will get to see the sake bombs on the bar top, not to be missed.
(4)Chris V.
Decent sushi, but GREAT atmosphere. They really take care of their customers. I imagine they know just how competitive their business can be: there's several other sushi restaurants within easy walking distance. I imagine that's what inspires them to go the extra mile. But I go here over the others because its got great ambiance, decent food, and won't break the bank on a date or out with friends for a nice meal.
(4)Felix C.
Its cheap. And with that said, you get your money's worth; the sushi is good, but its not gonna melt in your mouth. I recommend the Nor Cal, which is essentially a California roll topped with fried shrimp and fried...crumbs? I don't know what the proper Japanese term for those "fried crumbs" are, but they're B-O-M-B. The service here could be better. I've been here twice and the first time my table was paired with a super friendly and attentive waitress. The second time around I got a lady who simply took our order and gave us water. I guess third time's gonna be the charm, so if their service is better I'll bump them up a star. But for now, they get "san" stars.
(3)Melissa C.
I love this place! The only sushi place I will every go to in Santa Cruz! They have a yummy miso dressing that they put over their salads. Their beef teriyaki is the best I have ever had. The meat is so tender with the perfect amount of sauce. Their rolls taste soooo goooood!
(5)Marc C.
Consistently good sushi! Great variety and innovative rolls... My favorite sushi joint in Santa Cruz! Definitely try the Spicy Big Mac and the Death Star rolls!
(4)Kim T.
My favorite place for sushi. Well, sissy sushi, as I like to call it (veggie rolls mainly). An especially fun spot on Fri or Sat night as you will get to gather 'round for the sake bomb domino-trust me you want to be there for that around 830pm (and you'll enjoy the free sake bomb!)! Fun atmosphere, you may have to wait a bit on the weekends, but well worth it. Great service as well and it's always nice to have the owner check in to see how your meal was. Order the veggie tempura or gyoza to start!
(5)Charizard B.
This would be 4 and a half stars if I were allowed. . . the only reason I detracted anything is the lack of affordable non-seafood options. They were all very expensive. BUT I ended up ordering the "Popcorn chicken" with a ginger sauce (separate). It was awesome!!! It was breaded in panko crumbs, and even though it was on the kids menu, there was plenty of it. And I definitely recommend ordering the ginger sauce with it- it's usually served with a salmon dish but you can ask for it with other stuff. My friends all enjoyed their stuff- some of the got sushi, one got vegetarian sushi, and another got a soup. They were pretty busy but our waitress was GREAT- my friend had his dog in town and we wanted to sit outside so the dog could sit with us, and the waitress was very cool about it.
(4)Cynthia B.
Holy geez... Super fresh fish and a great array of actual sushi (raw fish.) they serve a lot of rolls with macadamia nuts instead of tempera. I prefer the healthy alternative and the extra crunch, it's a nice touch. Great atmosphere and surprising from the strip mall exterior. I have gone herein a date and with friends, it seems to be great for any occasion. If you are looking for sake bombs and karaoke you should go to I Love Sushi instead.
(5)Ly D.
I used to go here with my boyfriend every so often and loved it! I always ordered the pink caddy (unagi, hamachi, sake, ebi and spicy sauce) and the rock n' roll (unagi and avocado). He always had the hamachi kama (broiled yellowtail collar with savory sauce and rice). Although we've been to MANY sushi places, I think he still prefers the hamachi kama here. We always leave satisfied after a meal here!
(4)Joshua K.
I prefer their specialty rolls over the regular menu items, and their prices are a little on the high side. However, the quality of the fish is superb. Consider trying the Death Star for something that's a little on the different side. Very friendly atmosphere.
(3)Kimberly A.
I came here with some of my friends, and personally I'm not at all a sushi lover, and I hate seafood. I decided to give the sushi another try, and ended up getting a vegetarian roll, and I've got to say, it was delicious! Our waitress wasn't very friendly at all, in fact we took awhile to order (what do you expect we are girls, talking our faces off) and she acted like it was a inconvenience to her. All in all, I do want to try it again, and maybe hope for a happier server next time!
(3)Jocelyn R.
A lot of people I know say they love this place and it's really good. But the experience I had there has kept me from ever going back. I got some kind of "tropical" roll, which was basically madarin oranges and rice (pretty bland) My mom got some unagi and some kind of fish. As I was chewing the fish i felt slivers of bone and pulled about 5 out of my mouth. When I thought it was safe to swallow, I felt one of the sharp bones stab into my throat. The waitress wouldn't even take it off the bill, until I had gone to the hospital (Dominican) and brought back the Doctors note/bill. The Doctor wasn't even able to get it out and I had to live with it stuck in there (still stabbing) for a bout 2 weeks until it finally went away on it's own. :(
(2)Ryan G.
In my opinion the Best but also Most Expensive sushi place in Santa Cruz. They offer a wide selection of creative well-done rolls I've been to Japan for a study abroad and vacation and I judge a sushi place heavily on their nigiri sushi (my favorite) If you like nigiri sushi as much as I do then this is the place to go as long as you are willing to shell out the cash. Largest, best cuts of fish on the nigiri sushi but almost $2 more per order of nigiri sushi than any other place in Santa Cruz
(5)Brittany N.
Barring a horrible experience with the manager... the food here is fabulous!! The Special K roll is among my favorites, but there are so many great rolls it's hard to choose. Also, the tuna steak with peanut sauce is a really great option if you're not in the mood for sushi. I like the lay out and atmosphere of this sushi place...it's bigger than most and it has a nice little outdoor area on the quieter side of the building. Parking can be a disaster as it's in the same parking lot as Trader Joe's, Woodstocks, Long's and more. But if you can find a spot, it's a great place to eat and you're right near the movie theater so catch a flick after you eat or walk across the street and take a stroll in the park :]
(4)Denise C.
I've been here twice now, and I guess now I have a good grasp on how it is here. When you walk in, it's kind of dim. While in the evening, this might be a good thing for ambiance, in the daytime it makes the place kind of dingy looking. Most recently I came here with a group of 5, and we got seated at a larger table. This table turned out to be a...beer pong table? It was one of those plastic, fold-up tables that are so often used for beer pong. It was weird because all of the smaller tables were normal, wooden tables. Did they just not have money to invest in a table for larger groups? Service was kind of slow both times. The first time I gave them the benefit of the doubt because it was a busy Friday/Saturday night. However, it was nearly empty when I came here the past weekend. Food took about 15 minutes to get out to us, and there was like 1 other party there. Food-wise, this isn't my favorite type of sushi. I like more traditional-style sushi, but this place is more fusion, with more creative groupings of ingredients. Great for novelty, but doesn't really satisfy my palette for sushi. However, I enjoy the novelty of these rolls every once in a while, and I can't say that the rolls are bad. I especially liked the pink caddy roll, but the other rolls left me wanting more. The Norcal and macademia ones were interesting as well. Far as I've heard, this is one of the better places in SC to get sushi. I'll probably end up coming here again if I visit again.
(2)Sarah T.
Best sushi & excellent customer service! Thank you so much for consistent service & food!
(5)Mark F.
This is my favorite sushi spot in Santa Cruz! Its a pretty large space that can get busy but you never have to wait long if at all for a table. Iv'e tried just about everything they have to offer over the years and they are all top quality. They usually have at least 4 sushi chefs working so you don't have to wait. When your here, definitely try the "deviations" they are sushi creations that are as beautiful as they are delicious! Some of my favorites; Deviations... Tsunami (2 per order), its a piece of smoked salmon that is cut like a pocket, stuffed with rice, then sprinkled with macadamia nuts, and topped with a slab of avocado and unagi (eel), and finally drizzled with some sweet unagi sauce. This is a must try and my favorite item here. Kat in the hat (2 per order), this is a cute roll that looks like a Kat! (thats how they spell it). Its Bonito Tuna cut to form a tail and a pocket that they stuff with rice, its then covered with a thin slice of a giant scallop and topped with a little roll of smoked salmon (the hat) and some tobiko (fish roe). Starters... Gyoza, this is the only place I know of that gives you a choice of filling for your gyoza (pot stickers), you can choose from chicken, pork, beef, or veggie. My personal favorite is the beef as it unique. Served with a slightly sweet soy dipping sauce, very good! Green lip mussels, these are mussels (4 of them) cut into 3 pieces and put back into a half shell, they are then seasoned with a chilli powder and baked. Served with the same slightly sweet soy sauce as the gyoza these are very tasty! House salad, this salad is very big and has a tasty miso dressing that is lighter than most places because they don't use mayo in it. A good deal and big enough for 2 to split. Entrees... I usually just eat sushi and starters here and come out feeling content but if you are the bento box type then I recommend the tempura. Also the soup nabeyaki udon is a tasty comfort food meal for those cold days. I'll always come back here!
(5)Sara E.
Love this place! They have so many vegetarian/vegan options they have great apps and salad starters. Would definitely recommend. Love getting my roll tempuraed!! The veggie dragon roll is so creative and cute!
(4)Amy S.
Very clean inside and quick service. I ordered the NorCal roll and the stuffed jalepeno. The jalepeno were a really good balance of hot and flavor. The norcal roll is a Cali roll with fried mini shrimp on top. I really enjoyed the cali roll and the friend shrimp, but there was a lot of just fried bits that I could have done without. I also tried the pineapple express roll which was delicious and had total food envy for the Spicy Dragon roll that someone else got. The price was very reasonable for the quality of the food. I wish they had more combo box option available so that I could have had a variety of rolls.
(4)Jenny S.
I've been here a few times but haven't been in a while so my mother and I came to have lunch unfortunately the waitress seems to have an attitude and is extremely rude the prices went up as well not sure if I'll be back
(1)Nicole D.
Great sushi awaits at Mobo Sushi. Mobo's indoor-outdoor space includes several sun-bright seating areas, a large sushi bar, cocktail bar and a roomy heated patio. We enjoyed the wonderful variety of sushi selections and the many great vegetarian options. I stuck with my usual go-to nigiri plate. The nigiri plate comes with 6 chef's nigiri selections and a 6-piece tuna roll ($17). This plate is a tasty and wholesome option for a power-lunch or power-dinner. The fish is really fresh and fortifying. The sushi standout was the Death Star roll which has a beautiful amalgam of flavors and textures. This roll comes packed with tuna, fresh basil, garlic, avocado, cream cheese and macadamia nuts. Feast like sushi royalty at Mobo's. Enjoy high quality sushi and Japanese cuisine with fiscal-friendly pricing. Catch the sake bomb show and the free-flowing libations on Friday and Saturday evenings. Hmmmm, may need to re-visit soon :-)
(4)Aron H.
Tried the Banana Slug roll today and that is such a great roll! The presentation of the roll is amazing and it includes so much sashimi that you will be glad your ordered it. Definitely a roll for two or more people.
(5)Noe A.
This place is awesome! Great food, great sushi and Friday and Saturday nights you get free sake bombs at 9pm.
(5)Philippe K.
Mobo is one of the only Sushi places in santa Cruz that regularly has Uni (sea urchin). Usually local as from Bodega Bay for example. The Fish is good quality, hours are late and it's a lively night spot.
(4)Juanita M.
Once again Mobo turns out the best rolls in town. Great sushi. Wide assortment of hot and cold and a child friendly place as well. Crowded on a Saturday evening is to be expected. This is our go to for an evening out. And our server was very attentive, even with a full house. Not many places in Santa Cruz earn my stars.
(5)Nena P.
Had the worst service and when I went to complain to the manager with the blue hair he acted like I was bothering him and made no effort to even apologize his excuse for our horrible service was they were under the gun....
(1)Sabrina O.
I love mobo. I've been three times now. The last two times, I ordered the Special K roll- eel, lime, cream cheese and cashews. So good! I like Japanese dishes and am not super adventerous with sushi, so I got the Hamachi Kama broiled yellow tail over rice and then last time the Tombo Tuna with peanut sauce. Both delicious!
(5)Jennifer N.
I've been going to Mobo since it was truly just a sushi bar. One bar. Nothing else. Before they knocked the first wall down and way before they took over the comic book store space. (Did you all even know that there used to be a comic book store over there?). It has definitely had its challenges, but one thing that it does do right is get wildly creative with their sushi rolls. My Japanese friends often scoff at Mobo, but honestly, if you're in the mood for some adventurous sushi, this place will provide it. I also absolutely love that there are so many truly vegetarian options on the menu. And that you can request soy paper instead of nori for your rolls. And that you can get any roll on the menu tempura'd. All of that allows for some serious mouth-watering adventure! Plus they often have specials that just make parties in your mouth. I used to have a standing "invite" for all my friends to join me every Friday evening for dinner at Mobo's. While there are certain nights where the fish doesn't taste quite as fresh as you think it should and your wait person seems to all but disappear, still Mobo's does the job when it is adventurous sushi you want in downtown Santa Cruz.
(3)Silvie D.
this is one of my favorite restaurants in santa cruz. born and raised here so ive tried them all. the best things to get are the Tori Udon (around 8$, and you wont finish it) and a pickle plate appetizer. Cheap as far as japanese goes. if you like traditional japanese you may not like this place-- they get a little too creative with things like macadamian nut sushi and stuff. but you cant go wrong with the Tori Udon-- grilled chicken, delicious broth, veggies... amazing!
(4)Gina L.
Service was fine. But fish not fresh. Interesting vegi rolls. What is up with sitting at the sushi bar & ordering from a waiter/waitress?
(3)Emily C.
I don't think anyone would argue that a place with this many awesome vegan/vegetarian rolls would qualify as "authentic," so I'm not sure what the point of bitching about that is. The food is good. The end. Either you like what they serve you, regardless of your predilections for tradition, or you don't. And I do! Macadamia nuts are fucking killer additions to veggie rolls.
(4)Mike B.
Mobu is da bomb! Little on the pricey side, but pure quality. Usually busy, so if going out with more than 1 or 2 people, call ahead. On warmish evenings, the back patio is the place to be seated, otherwise try and get a spot on the bar. Pretty large selection. Japanese chefs = authentic Sushi.
(4)S. C.
I feel like I love this place half the time and get really annoyed the other half of the time. I tend to love it on days when I'm having lunch by myself at the counter with a good book, and like it less on days when it's packed, noisy, and the service is a little lackluster. Today's sushi lunch special was FABULOUS, and the hamachi was amazing. Sidenote: I also love the Guido roll (basil, garlic, cream cheese, macadamia nuts). Word on the street is that they have free sake bombs on certain nights... :)
(3)Gregor M.
Admittedly I was only in the restaurant for about 15 minutes, but enjoyed my brief stay. Ordered up a few Sake Nigiri as my friends were finishing there colorful array of tabled treats, and was pleasantly surprised by the hefty cut and flavorful presentation. When back in SC, I plan to take the rest of the menu for a spin.
(4)Ryan H.
Sorry, Mobo. The sushi's not bad, but this place is exactly the kind I don't like: huge and impersonal, not much attention and service, an ethnic restaurant full of only white people. If it were a bargain, it might be different, but I'll take my sushi at August Moon, thanks.
(2)Valerie S.
mmm mobo! inventive, high quality sushi and good service. they have an impressive selection of veggie sushi options and the regular menu items are very good too.
(4)Susanna K.
People claim that this place is good so I keep giving it another shot. Bottom line, not good. Some of their more popular rolls are pre-made.....you can tell because the rice is cold and hard! Totally unacceptable. I know they have a large selection of vegetarian rolls and thats why alot of people go there but please, for those maguro and hamachi eating folks, don't waste your time.
(2)Sari W.
mobo is the reason this vegetarian loves sushi. they have an entire list of vegetarian sushi that i can't get enough of. i've been chasing this sushi dragon ever since i was first introduced. without fail, i've ordered and enjoyed the guido and tuesday maki rolls on every visit. upon first bite, the guido falls apart in your mouth, revealing the most amazing flavors of avocado, cream cheese, basil, and macadamia, with creamy and cruncy textures. my husband ordered the beef terriyaki, and was surprised by the abundance of beef, so much so that he couldn't finish it all (that never happens!).
(5)Scott H.
We totally love Mobo's! This is our (Simon's!) favorite place to eat. We go hear for any special occasion. A great sushi place which is always packed (reservations recommended on weekends), nice ambiance (huge fish tank in back room, tables close together, nice little out back patio). The menu is simply awesome, especially for us. Plenty of 'california style sushi' for the vegans and vegetarian's in our family, but excellent fresh fish for the rest. My favorites: The Guido Maki (cashew, cream cheese, basil and tons of garlic), Ikura Madness (hamachi, ikura, quail egg), Uni (when they have it - it melts in the mouth). The veg's like Miami Roll and Tuesday Maki. Serving sizes are generous, and the price is very reasonable for a sushi place of this caliber. We are always stuffed and 4 of us get out for around $70 incl tip. I got a bento box once and it was a LOT of food. Service is friendly and excellent (except they ALWAYS manage to forget Simon's inari - it's a running joke). The owner seems to know us by now and gives us a smile and a kind word when we leave. Every time I go I order one new thing I haven't tried yet. Almost always pleasantly surprised, with very few exceptions. It's not run by native Japanese, and it's not "pure Sushi", but who cares? VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
(5)lauren f.
loved the extensive veggie roll list!!! tempura was delish as well.
(4)Hari Y.
They have the best selection of vegetarian (fish-free) sushi I've ever seen. The Guido is especially delicious and the most highly recommended vegetarian roll - a rich combination of flavors, including basil, garlic, macadamia nuts, and cream cheese. Great decor and service. Love this place!
(5)Teddy D.
I can't help but like a place that gives you surprise sake bombs and gigantic sushi rolls at reasonable prices. Absolutely great service.
(4)Kat M.
Great for vegetarians. Always friendly and pretty fast service. Owner is super nice. Lot's of options. Pretty fresh fish. Decent prices.
(4)Rosie H.
Your standard good sushi.
(4)katrinka k.
This is by far, my favorite sushi place! 'nuff said.
(4)Jennifer R.
Mobo has a variety of interesting sushi rolls. One of my favorites is the snoball maki, which has snowcrab, mandarain orange, coconut, and cashews. They also have lots of rolls with macadamia nuts; for those of you who've never tried sushi rolls with macadamia nuts you're missing out. The smoke slammin is also good with fresh salmon (either raw or smoked, i prefer raw) and cilantro. Personally, I'd stay away from the rolls that include garlic- i tried one of my friend's last night and it just didn't mesh well with the flavors of the raw fish. This place usually gets packed on friday and saturday nights after 6pm so I recommend going on a weeknight or ordering take-out (my favorite option). Oh and for those of you who've read my Iroha sushi review, yes I tried the spicy tuna roll here and no, it did not satisfy. Their other rolls are great but as with everywhere else but Iroha I was disappointed by their spicy tuna.
(4)Riri L.
After hearing such glowing comments about this restaurant, I was really disappointed with my meal. Decor, atmosphere, and service were all fine, but it was the food that ultimately blew it for me. I ordered the Nabeyaki Udon, a hamachi nigiri, sake nigiri, and a Landshark roll. The Nabeyaki udon was fine, although I found it a little weird that they used beef instead of chicken, and that the shitake mushrooms were pickled. But I won't knock them for being a little different. It was the sushi that had me completely appalled. They appeared to have flash boiled the fillet of salmon that they used for the sake nigiri. The center was raw, but you could see a thin skin of pink around the edges of the cuts of fish. The result? -- A rubbery piece of fish, which was tough and chewy around the cooked edges. Along with ruining the texture, the cooking process destroyed the fatty marbling, taking away the richness of fish. My friend was surprised by what I was served. She had eaten the sake at Mobo's before, and never received it in that condition. As for the Landshark roll, the lemon and shizo leaf completely overpowered the main ingredients - unagi and grilled hamachi. I ended up with a mouthful of lemony, dish soap tasting sushi. Using actual pieces of lemon, as opposed to juice, and too much shizo, really ruined the roll. On a textural note, the shizo leaf was whole, making it difficult to chew through, and the macadamia nut, whose flavor you couldn't taste, felt like odd chunks of something that didn't belong in the roll. At least the hamachi was fine ... Overall, I think the non-sushi items on the menu were decent, but when it comes to anything that's somewhat innovative, watch out! You'll be unpleasantly surprised. Mobo isn't a traditional Japanese restaurant. Which is fine. The idea of a restaurant being more cutting edge and using a variety of interesting ingredients is great. However, the eclectic recipes at Mobo need to reviewed and revised. Although a charming idea, the nuts add a disturbing texture to the sushi rolls and do not meld well with the other ingredients. It also seems as if someone creative came up with the ingredients for the rolls, but never bothered tasting their own creations. There was no blending of flavors, just certain, unappetizing ingredients, standing out. I think the managers should start doing random taste tests. I'd be mortified if they thought the sushi served to me was acceptable.
(2)Kevin D.
Best vegetarian sushi in Santa Cruz, possibly the bay area. Crop burning, miami roll, etc.
(5)hoolio n.
over rated but never disappointing. delicious food but busy place. Their menu is a bit hard to decipher. Their fancy creations are impossible to eat - need to deconstruct to get the parts into your mouth. Order the corruptor for your non-sushi fan friends. Smoke eel, basil and cashews - or is it macadamia nuts? Maybe some cream cheese too.
(4)Leslie H.
The sushi is great, but what's up with the hostesses and servers? Recently, a friend and I went to Mobo. We had reservations, the restaurant was all but empty (at 7:30 on a Saturday), and we got seated at what seemed like the kids' table: a tiny table tucked behind a corner. When we asked for a different table, we were shown to another just as bad. In disgust, the hostess gestured to another, somewhat less objectionable. Why? Quite frankly, I'm mystified. That having been said, the sushi was terrific--although I think Pink Godzilla is just as good, and there's no wrangling over the tables--you're just lucky to get one.
(2)Miranda M.
I don't understand why people bother going here....I only go to MoBo when I'm craving sushi on a Sunday when everything good is closed. For starters, if you are a real sushi connoisseur you will notice immediately that the rice is not prepared correctly here, it is too hard for sushi rolls and they lay it on thick making each bite of sushi mostly taste like rice. Also most of the rolls taste the same because they use the same "special sauce" on almost all the rolls. I ONLY recommend this place for vegetarians because they have an extensive variety of rolls without fish. I used to come here as a vegetarian, when I made the switch and tried this place I realized that was all it was good for! The sashimi and nigiri is not very great quality, I've been spoiled by Miyako. Though if you are vegetarian or you find yourself here try the guido roll it is unique and tasty!
(2)Sarah M.
This is like *the* place to go if you're a vegetarian and you want some sushi. I'm not but my dad is and they have like a zillion different options. And how effing cool is it that you can build your own roll??? Way cool. I've never actually done it before because I always get caught up in the creativity of their rolls. And not creative in a tempura everything with cream cheese and mucho mayo based sauce kind of way that you get over the hill. They like to spice up their rolls with mandarin oranges, basil, garlic, coconut, macadamia nuts, etc. Actually the basil garlic combo is a little weird - kind of like you're eating pizza sushi. But I appreciate the thought. And the fish is fresh and tasty. This is my go to place when over the hill but it absolutely KILLS me that they aren't open for lunch on the weekends. So, so very depressing. Oh also I've been here with my two under four year old nephews and they were totally understanding about having a couple of rambunctious kids running around outside. Yes, we sat on the patio in the back. I mean come on, we're not going to disrupt the whole restaurant. I hate when people do that.
(4)Dominic P.
Mobo is a great place for sushi. That said, if you're going here, you need to know that they are more of a "fusion" type of place. They try new things with their rolls, and it normally tastes great. I go here with my parents all the time when they visit from out of town. Great for vegetarians. Friday and Saturday at around 8-8:30PM the owner sets up a domino style system for making sake bombs and everyone gets one free. Good atmosphere, highly recommend.
(4)Jen N.
Great menu, for sushi and other traditional Japanese dishes. Inventive maki rolls that are never boring. Crop Burning is a great veggie roll and the Maui Wowie it also good. You can make your own roll too. One of the best sushi places in Santa Cruz. Nice atmosphere and service. Parking can be tough on the weekends. Reservations needed on the weekend too. Nice patio in back for daytime meals.
(5)April L.
This place is OK. Compared to Sushi experiences from SF.. of course not, I love sushi. I especially love to use sushi grade fish from Tokyo Fish Market in Berkeley to make my own rolls or nigiri. So, this place is tolerable in a pinch, however, I like the pre-made boxes from Staff of Life if I'm just wanting fish! My husband always gets the bento boxes with beef, and the beef is usually ok and tender. He gets the side of sashimi, which is a good option because I can snack on that. The price is decent, but the only thing that REALLY BUGS is the fact that all the soups (with the exception of the sukiyaki served in an iron pot) are all served out of crappy plastic bowls and they use crappy soup spoons. I can actually feel the texture of the flatware disintegrating with the heat of the food. I watch the food sort of "stick" to the walls of the ?melamine? It makes me lose my appetite, seriously. Sorry, fellas, ceramic bowls are cheap and spoons, while they may break, at least don't leech plastic into my food. Please step it up! Also, please do a major clean/ overhaul of your tables and walls; everything is sticky and the tables are too close together.
(2)Eazflo Z.
Never did I like it here. I grew up in SC and this place just never did it for me. Basil in sushi no thanks. Plus it is small, rude and inconsistent.
(2)melisa n.
Very intereting combination of flavors on most rolls. Definitely not traditional but easy to take a liking to. Large restaurant with long waits during the weekend. Hit or miss with the freshness of the fish but never encountered anything questionable.
(3)boyce p.
I have been vegan for 10 years and have tried sushi all over the US, and this is definitely at the top of my list of must eat sushi. We were not very hungry, but the menu looked so good, we had four rolls and some vegan pot stickers. The pot stickers were tasty, but not necessarily amazing. We had an artichoke themed roll, a beet themed roll, and two others that escape my memory, but featured a variety of vegetables and some of the best avocado in California. Prices were average for sushi, but given the diversity of ingredients and variety in flavor profile, I would say the prices were very good. They have the usual Japanese beers. If you are in the area, and want to try some interesting new vegetarian/vegan rolls, go here. Our waitress was attentive, bit brief. Food arrived very shortly after ordering. Much shorter wait than usual for great sushi. I was also with a large group of people, and they split the sushi up onto plates for vegans and non-vegans without asking us :) Missing 5th star for a lack of outstanding service.
(4)Sabrina A.
So this place was good a few years ago, then pretty bad and now is pretty good again, so obviously not the most consistant place. Though the fish is usually pretty fresh, presentation is nice, udon soup is pretty good, miso soup and salad are good though standard. The place itself is pretty cute and have a nice little patio outside for when the weather is nice. It can get really crowded on the weekends, so be prepared for a wait and a crowded and close dining space. The wait staff is usually pretty uncaring and bleh. But I will admit it is better than a few other places downtown, the Shogun is my favorite.
(3)April V.
I Love this place because of their different flavors...........lemon, cilantro, garlic, basil...............so yummy.
(4)Mitchell W.
When in Santa Cruz and craving sushi, this is the place to go. The flying tiger roll is refreshing, the spicy tuna just right, and the host of spicy rolls with ginger and garlic are always ready to please. Don't worry the have the standard tastes as well. As for the entree's: They are good, but slightly on the pricy side. The Tuna has been great when I have had it, the chicken always a pleasure, and the miso tasty and hot. The Udon, while good, does not stand up to the other meals on the menu. When in santa cruz, and craving fish... either jump in the oceann and go bobbing for salmon, or go to mobo's.
(4)Meryl Q.
their dragon roll... actually LOOKS like a dragon (with eye balls and legs and wispy bits and shredded carrot sticks sticking out that resembles fire). the kid and i spent about 5 minutes watching this sushi being made in awe. the serious detail that goes into it. amazing. great "June" roll. the chefs were super NICE ... really informative. the menu (rolls) were innovative and different from a typical sushi place (though they still have the "typical" sushi stuff)
(4)Fred H.
Pretty good sushi, and a great vegetarian sushi menu. Lots of variety and the service was friendly. Definitely some unique rolls here.
(4)Sirinda S.
If you only have one opportunity to eat here, try the corruptor (roll with unagi with basil, garlic, and macadamian nuts), the flying tiger (tempura shrimp roll), the teriyaki chicken (tender and flavorful), and finish it off with the tempura bananas with ice cream. You won't be disappointed.
(5)J. O.
Their sushi is decent, but their Udon soup is to die for. Their prices are a bit expensive, but most of that is the ambience. I'm not sold on their sushi, but this is the semi-classy joint that is golden for Valentine's Day, New Years, and other holidays.
(3)Sean G.
If you happen to escape the Bay and get down the 1 or over the Hill on 17 -- this is a great place to sop up the Santa Cruz wines or wash down the seawater from a session at Sharks. Always packed and always outstanding. The Rock roll is eel and its damn tasty.
(4)John B.
We went to this sushi place because it had been rated "the best" of Santa Cruz, but instead we were confronted by a confusing menu, tired looking fish, and an expensive bill. We were seated in an out of the way corner of the restaurant...for what reason I don't know because there was hardly anyone else there, and there were many other open tables. It felt as though someone had stuck that table there in the dusty corner for customers who they don't like. I love sushi, and I was looking for some sashimi, and some classic rolls. But, unfortunately Mobo seems to focus more on trendy maki rolls, and cooked dishes. I was very disappointed with our experience there, and I'm seriously doubting how they got on the "Metro's best of Santa Cruz" list.
(2)Megan W.
I have made a point thus far to never give out 5 stars but on the basis of the existence of the Guido roll alone, I bend, I obliterate my morals for Mobo. Eat it. Ascend to heaven.
(5)Salty D.
Not really all that impressed. It's crowded and the sushi is just "ok". All that it really has going for it is the location and ambiance (if you can ignore the crowding).
(3)Greycella L.
Mobo is tops for downtown Santa Cruz sushi options with a large menu with some creativity (though I think there's room for improvement) fresh fish and usually competent and helpful waitstaff. Even when they are totally slammed this place seems to hold it down. They just need to get on the unagi bandwagon. I thought the best in the county was Paradise Sushi in Capitola above Thai Basil, and as I mentioned the menu is slightly lacking what's necessary for that fifth star.
(4)Carl S.
THE sushi place to go if you're dining with vegetarians. I've never seen Mobo's equal when it comes to vegetarian sushi.
(4)Katie S.
I like Mobo's sushi enough that I hardly even hold it against them that once they gave me such horrible food poisoning I almost had to be hospitalized.
(4)Mallory B.
my home away from home... i have already talked to the co-owner about renting a room in the back, but he assured me there was no opening at the time but he would let me know... SUSHI!!! i love it, cant live without it, spend entire pay checks on it, would probably cry all night if i couldn't have it, and will forever have a long lasting love affair with it! Mobo sushi is a great sushi place in Down town SANTA CRUZ tucked away in a business complex just passed all the hustle and bustle of pacific ave! Has 2 HUGE sushi bars, one full stock bar, 3 Huge inside dining rooms and one outside dining area I went there with a group of about 12 to 15 one night and they sat us outside, they let us decorate the table and area with balloons, streamers and confetti! they made sure we were all toasty warm with the over head heaters blasting and attended our every soon to be drunken needs!! We mentioned to them that we all wanted to do Sake Bombs! and i swear the waitresses eyes got wider then ours!! She said i have just the thing for you guys!! they soon brought out about 4 bottles of sake, beer and 12 to 15 glasses... cleared the middle of the table and began lining up the cups length wise on the table! they spaced them out so that just in between each of the glasses they were able to balance a double shot glass on top! as they poured sake and beer into each other glasses we couldn't believe what they were about to attempt!! It was going to be a Sake Bomb Domino Extravaganza!! all of the sudden the whole table got silent, as we looked around at all our our ever so eager eyes we began to yell at the top of our lungs " 1...2...3...SAKE BOMBS!!!!" and one shot glass fell into the first glass tipping the next shot glass to fall into the next beer and soo on down the whole length of the table!! as we each grabbed a glass and chugged as fast as we could (including the waitstaff) we could hardly contain ourselves and our excitement!! Wow what an experience... and don't worry we carry on this tradition weekly!
(4)Josie K.
best sushi, rivaled only by 1 place in alameda which is too damn far from civilization. try special k and the corruptor. i like their little outfits too. they are liberal with the sake.
(5)S S.
egh. great for vegetarians (extensive vegetarian menu), but if you want good sushi with fish, go elsewhere.
(2)Brian B.
I cannot comment on the sushi here because I just ordered some Udon. Aesthetically, the restaurant is nicely lit and creates a nice ambiance. It was a good but not spectacular place for dinner. I would come back.
(4)Anna G.
Loooove Mobo's. My favorite roll that they offer has cashews and broccoli and is so tasty. There's a wide variety of other good stuff as well, plus a nice selection of sake and beer and the like. The atmosphere is very condusive to social gatherings - therefore, whenever I've gone there with other people I've had an absolute blast. There's something about getting sushi with friends that is always so much fun. And the wait staff are patient when you've done to many sake bombs and start slurring your speech. Always a plus.
(4)N N.
Good food, nice location outside, and let us have our dog under the table! Very nice staff and owner!
(4)Whitney B.
Love, love, LOVE Mobo Sushi! Best sushi I've had in a long time. My favorites being any of their rolls with unagi and the miami roll. Can be a little crowded on the weekends but always worth a short wait for a table. On slow nights you can sometimes get a spot at the sushi bar and watch the action.
(5)Brandon B.
Pretty good sushi place. I would go here pretty frequently when I lived in Santa Cruz.
(4)Becca R.
Guido Roll you have to order it!! My favorite roll ever! Good tempura and miso also!
(4)Ethan M.
The sushi here is excellent, one of the top 2-3 in Santa Cruz. Try the Krazy Kat and Presto Maki---great combinations of taste and mouth feel. If I were rating on sushi alone, Mobo would get 5 stars, but a sushi place has to have some other food for those who don't like sushi (or can't afford enough of it). Here, Mobo falls short. Their teriyaki is usually overcooked, though their tombo tuna is usually pretty good. The atmosphere here is good too---real sushi bar, with some cozy tables in the corner next to the sushi bar. The restaurant is pretty big, but still manages to be reasonably full on weekends. Definitely worth a visit.
(4)V F.
Pretentious, overpriced, bad service, food not great, and they hate kids. There are so many better places in Santa Cruz to eat Sushi!
(1)Andrew P.
Since first impressions can be deceiving, my wife and I and some friends decided to give Mobo a second chance. The overall experience was slightly above average. For starters, the green tea is served by the cup, using the old hot water and tea bag routine...not the real stuff. The miso soup was a bit too salty and lacked a fresh brewed taste. The ocean salad was good. I will say this, Mobo has many maki rolls to choose from. Although a few of the maki rolls were excellent (e.g., Guido, Corruptor), some were quite plain or bland tasting. In addition, some of the rolls were a bit poorly constructed and fell apart upon grabbing with the slick wooden chopsticks. Furthermore, some of the high-end maki rolls were WAY overpriced, including their version of the rainbow roll (Tazuna) which costs $17 and was topped with way too much tobiko. The service was good, although the maki was not thoughtfully served on the table according to who ordered what, but rather was jammed on to a large plate, making access for the 6 of us at the small table a bit too much work. Overpriced, but not a bad place. Definitely not the best sushi in Santa Cruz! e
(3)Angela L.
Big restaurants, good for large parties or even a date. Atmosphere is very fun, exciting, and loud. Sushi is satisfying, but super great. Maybe I haven't tried the perfect rolls yet. Service is fair, they aren't as attentive as I'd like them to be. Price can be fair and a little bit more expensive depending on what you order. I've had good experiences there, but the bill is usually higher compared to other sushi restaurants I would eat at. I would go again.
(3)Elisa L.
Ehh was alright I definitely had better quality sushi with better prices.. and Idk if its just me but when I go to a sushi restaurant I think miso soul and salad is a given and to pay extra here for the side was a turn off. I also ordered the pineapple express which I think was amazing! The sweetness of the pineapple and crunch of the macadamia nuts were a great combination but as for the little strand of HAIR I found in my roll definitely ruined my appetite for the food and the place.
(1)Katie B.
Nor Cal roll is amazinggggg. Only been picked up sushi from their once but the sushi was great. The person taking phone calls was a little rude though.
(4)Audrey C.
Mobo is definitely different than I Love Sushi or Tototos. Some of the rolls here are super cheap, maybe about $5 a roll for the smaller ones and they aren't a bad portion size but I definitely need more than one of the those to fill me up. It's nice if you want a variety of rolls to eat! They also have their specialty rolls that are huge and are about $12 a roll I would say. I love their bento boxes here. The 3 choice one is $17 and the sashimi here is good as well as the beef teriyaki! One of the better ones that I have had. One thing I don't like about this place is that the wait is kind of long for the food. They don't give free appetizers either which is why the wait feels so long maybe. The parking is easy with a huge lot shared by Woodstocks, Trader Joes, and other stores around the area.
(3)Neera B.
Terrible service. I swear I think our server had a million better things to do than her job. Food is just okay. I've tried over and over to like this place, especially with the Mobo fanatics in SC...but it just doesn't cut it. It's off the rotation now also. There are too many other wonderful sushi places that are not pretentious and don't appear bothered by simple requests of their customers (may I have some more water?)
(1)Paul D.
This place is really fantastic and no MSG! The people here are really friendly and the sushi rolls are really delicious. The free beers with shots of sake on Friday and Saturday nights definitely add to the greatness of this place. Also, the owner is a very friendly and personable guy. My only problem -- but I still give them five stars -- was that I did not get my change back from the waitress until I asked for it. I guess she thought she was getting a 40% tip instead of 20%. Go figure! In my opinion, after living in a number of countries where no tip is required, that 20% is more than enough.
(5)Kellie S.
I have mixed feelings about this place. The special rolls are very good and not very expensive. Their normal rolls are really good and cheap and there's a lot of vegetarian options. My problem though is, I have a severe gluten allergy and they are one of the only sushi places that I would trust in Santa Cruz. If you ask your server they'll bring you a menu that has all the items that are naturally gluten free circled on their main menu. They also have gluten free soy sauce. I've eaten there several times and I've never found myself directly sick from there(but I am also typically sick so I'm not really sure the source....) BUT last time I went there I told my waitress I was gluten free and a manager or someone came out and starting telling me that they use vinegar derived from wheat along with rice vinegar for their sushi rice. He did tell me that I could substitute out this rice with plain rice however. Like I said, I've never had a direct reaction from this place but I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone that has a problem with gluten unless they go in with the knowledge about subbing for the plain rice. This is the most gluten-free friendly sushi place I've found on westside Santa Cruz though, so I'll probably end up going back again.
(3)Yuki G.
Disclaimer: I've only been to Mobo once. Also, I'm snobby when it comes to Japanese restaurants because Japanese food is my mama's food, ya dig? Let's go to yet another Japanese restaurant run by Koreans you say? *sigh* OK. Actually, it's a proper restaurant and not the fast food strip mall variety I usually drag my feet to. I don't eat any animal products so I was very much appreciate of the long list of vegetarian sushi options and that's what I stuck to. I had a question about one of the items and either the waitress didn't know and made up her answer or she misheard me because when the sushi arrived, I let it sit there because it didn't look like what she described and I assumed one of the other people at my table had ordered it. I went on a Friday evening and my timing couldn't have been more perfect. I had heard about their infamous sake bomb "show" and it's kind of corny but also super fun to witness. I didn't like the actual taste of it (more of a shandy girl I suppose) but I really appreciate the effort the restaurant goes to to set up 100 sake bombs in a show-stopping manner and then hand them out for free (with ID). Next time I'm back in town, I'll be back to try more sushi options and give that sake bomb another go.
(4)Duong N.
When we walked in the hostess Amy was very friendly and nice...(other then this the night was horrible). We ordered a picture of beer and our waitress was extremely rude, they gave us two dirty beer cups back to back. The first one has a lipstick stain, when I ask the waitress for another cup she came back after waiting 10 minutes or so, drop the cup in my face and left. The CUP was still DIRTY with food stains. As the hostess was sitting down another party, I asked her for another cup while still waiting for the waitress for our first replacement cup. She was kind and gave me a new cup. We then ordered 4 sake bomb later on and she came back with 3. She said oops I'm sorry ill come back with another one (5 minutes later...) 2 stars because the crunchy dragon roll was good and the hostess was marvelous. Other then that the other rolls were typical and the service suck. Initially this place looked like a decent sushi place, but the decor was horrible, bathrooms look dirty/run down... Never again will I come to this place
(2)April C.
Was taken here by my host when I visited from out of town, and it was PHENOMENAL. The Crunch Dragon is the best roll on the menu, and the tempura sweet potato roll was a great veggie option. I wish I would have been staying long enough to eat here twice, but alas - I'll have to come again on my next visit. BOTTOM LINE: Delicious, totally affordable, great service. You must eat here!
(5)CJ D.
Great place to get fresh sushi and to have fun as a prelude to the weekend. The staff is attentive and sincere. I live in the Bay Area and with all the sushi places I frequent, this is a favorite. Tip: come with a laid back and friendly attitude and you will receive the same.
(4)Jessica Z.
The sushi isn't that great and the service is terrible. I went there for my friends 21st around 5pm while it was kind of dead, and we waited over an hour for our sushi. It wasn't until we complained when our sushi came out.. finally. Also, they charge 35 cents for siracha sauce. Really? lol The only cool thing about this place is the domino sake shots effects they do in the evenings.. but that's it.
(1)Meredith P.
The staff is hit or miss. Some staff members are very friendly and knowledgeable. Others don't know anything about the rolls or don't seem very experience in serving or both. What I witnessed while waiting for my take-out order during my last visit was not cool. A couple who had just walked out come back in realizing they were given someone else's credit card and their meal was put on that card. This someone else must have their card. The hostess seemed worried and tracked down their server. Now mind you this was a super super super busy night so I could see how this mistake can happen. However, the server's attitude was so unapologetic, I was shocked. She didn't really look at their tickets to try and figure out if maybe that table was still there. These people have to contact their bank and then try and look this guy up on the internet before he walks around town with their card not noticing and using it (because lord knows most people do not check ID for credit cards around SC). I'm pretty sure I never heard an apology out of that server, just an "uh oh." I've worked at a sushi restaurant, so I know what ingredients I like and what roll combinations sound good. For those less familiar, it's very easy to order something you are not expecting (I've had this happen to several of my dinner companions during my trips here) or something really bland. Some of their specialty rolls are more creative, but overall it's just simple maki rolls. Having found the ones I love, I really enjoy the rolls that I get. Presto maki, crop burning (veggie), and crunch dragon are all really good. The sake bomb waterfall thing is really cool. People love it. It's fun to watch. It's free liquor to customers. You cannot go wrong with that idea. I've heard people talk about going in just for this, so it's bringing in business.
(3)Brandon H.
I have loved this place since the first time I ate here. Compared to the rest of the state, it has the cheapest, best, most creative sushi. Try to get in on Friday or Saturday night to get a free sake bomb (and enjoy an awesome show).
(5)Jamie R.
awesome awesome awesome! amazing & creative sushi. tons of vegan/ vegetarian choices. great staff. complimentary sake bombs on fri & sat night. a must!
(5)Kari S.
After a good solid ten years of coming to Mobo it's about time I write a review. I seem to only review my new finds leaving all my old favored treasures and stand by's in the dust. Mobo is a staple in my life. I bring most of my out of town guests here for a fine meal, I love coming here on dates, I love Mobo as a quick and easy lunch stop, as well as a Friday night Japanese drunken saki fest, and lately I have been calling orders in and picking them up on my way home from work. Which brings me to tonight.... ...oh how we overlook the ones we love! Magic Maki and Lomi Lomi Salmon Salad! I just realized how much you mean to me Mobo!
(5)Pauline D.
A shining example of "you get what you pay for." My eyes nearly popped out of my head when I saw that the menu was both extensive and inexpensive ($6-7 for most rolls)... and right along Front St., no less! That's were the positive ends and the problems start setting in. After calling in our order 20 min prior, we came in to pick up our lunch. There's only one lady, perhaps the owner, at the front who plays the role of hostess, cashier, phone answerer, and to-go caretaker -- an ambitious undertaking during the increasingly busy lunch rush. We ended up loitering around the register area for at least 15 minutes while she finished taking care the dine-in newcomers, phone orders, payments, etc. They have a weird and incredibly inefficient setup for their credit cards, where the machine is located across the way on the other side of the restaurant, separate from the register so every time someone would whip out their CC, she'd have to run across and back. All this I can forgive pretty easily, though. Sometimes you don't expect it to be as busy as it gets and you're shorthanded. I get it. However, I can't forget bad food. One of my biggest foodie pet peeves when dining at a specialty restaurant is when they don't get the specialty item right. You go out for pasta and you expect it to be cooked al dente, right? Cupcakes should be moist. Steak cooked to order. Beer ice-cold. And sushi... well, the rice shouldn't be dry, undercooked and stick to your molars after every chew! I had to scrape off the rice from my rolls to make them edible. The sushi inners themselves were A-OK, nothing spectacular on the palate despite being a little more creative than many sushi joints. Returnability: zilch, zero. Maybe if I were a local college student I'd give them another chance, but as an out-of-towner, there are too many other dining establishments worth my stomach space... Why fill it with mediocre sushi?
(2)Stephanie W.
It's alright. The rolls are different. They aren't like Sushi Totoro's or I Love Sushi's. The rolls are like maki rolls, just think a cucumber roll but with other stuff. I feel like their (for example.) dragon roll is just in a different shape. I am not sure if I am making much sense, but their rolls aren't large. Their small, but still filling. I wonder how they do that. Hmm... They might have large rolls, I am just not sure where they are. We always end up sitting at the sushi bar area. The one thing I have a problem with is the Salmon (Sake). I feel like my salmon is always smoked, I like sushi's salmon to be fresh and RAW! Oh! I have been here for actual sit down, it had slow service. That's all I remember from that visit. The rolls are good. Try it.
(3)Rebecca S.
Best sushi in SC! This place is consistently great. They have a huge selection, and everything is fresh & tasty. Faves: Presto Maki, Corruptor, Krazy Kat. Really, I could go on & on. They also have a great vegetarian selection, so no one is left out!
(5)Steph W.
First and foremost, free sake bombs! Now that the most important part of the review is out of the way, I came here with a large group of people and I definitely think the service was good and accommodating. We had about 30 people, and the table was already set up for us in the back patio. Our table was divided into three sections to make it easier for the servers. No issues there. The menu is quite extensive. I definitely had a hard time choosing what to try. I saw the specials menu and settled on a Nor Call roll. Popcorn shrimp and tobiko, so enticing. When it first came out, I was so stoked because it looked huge. Most of the popcorn shrimp ended up to be fried bits. I think there were about 10 shrimps, so that's fine. The California roll was okay, nothing to write home about. Overall, the roll was okay, I don't know if I'd order it again. The owner was super nice and came over a few times to check if things were okay.
(3)Jared P.
Imagine some of the most delicious food that the Eastern World has to offer combined with some of the worst music America has to offer, country music. This is right where Mobo comes in. There is nothing like a Spicy Scallop Roll and Seaweed Salad with a side of Brad Paisley to wash it down, but don't let that deter you from eating here. The only real deterrent should be the hair we found in our Miso Soup. So big deal, hair doesn't scare us anymore, after all, we find them in our home cooking all the time and it''s never anyone's fault. The food, nonetheless, is actually pretty good here. We order the lunch special which had 2 rolls and 3 pieces of nigiri. One of the rolls had tuna and basil with a sweet coconut sauce on top and the other roll had tuna, avocado and Macadamia nuts on it. Who doesn't love nuts? To accompany this order we also had The Death Star Roll and Some variation of a spicy scallop roll(I forget the name). Both very tasty though. It gets hard to remember every detail about lunch sometimes. The waitress was also very nice, too nice in fact. She sidled right up in between us every few minutes to make sure we were all set. It can become a little bothersome at times when trying to enjoy the meal. Overall, the experience at MoBo was enjoyable. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a quick, delicious meal at an affordable price. I have had better sushi but also worse so this restaurant finds itself with a 3.5 rating (I rounded up to be nice). Why can't you give half ratings? It doesn't make sense, like that hair we found in our soup. Miso confused still about who's it is.
(4)Ellen N.
yum. good food. nice staff.
(5)Chris O.
So far our experience here has been pretty good. They have a very large menu of all sorts of tasty sushi and other Japanese food too various to mention. Very good portion sizes too.
(4)Harrison M.
The sushi here is always really good. They have a good mix of classic dishes and some funky kooky sushi creations complete with crazy names to go with them. The service is always pretty good unless its super crowded then you can find yourself fighting for attention, but I don't hold that against them. It's hard to keep up when's 10 tables are fighting for your attention.
(4)Angela P.
The atmosphere was good. My friends and I sat near the front entrance of the restaurant so we didn't get to see much, but from what I did see it wasn't too bad. The food wasn't the best Japanese food I've ever eaten (but growing up in the bay area I feel like my Japanese-food-standard has been raised unrealistically high). There were about 7 of us eating, and my boyfriend and I ordered the Mobo Wrap, and other people ordered other stuff and we all split. Here's the general breakdown though: Mobo Wrap ($12.95) -- Wasn't too bad. I've never had anything like this before so yes it definitely was refreshing to eat and try something new. It comes in 4 so if you're not that hungry or you don't eat a lot to begin with it's perfect to share, but if you're hungry or like food in general then I'd get one for yourself. The Nor-Cal ($11.95) -- Really good sushi, and the crunchy stuff on the top is really really good. Though I feel like they put a bit too much so towards the end it gets kinda like bleh but otherwise it's not bad. The Death Star ($7.75) -- Very nice for a small dish. It was different and quite enjoyable; really yummy, perfect to share. Popcorn Chicken ($8.95) -- Better popcorn chicken then most. Comes with rice :) Then we also got a few other stuff but I don't quite remember what else..overall the food wasn't too bad, probably a 4/5 stars. What tripped us up was the 18% gratuity thing though. I mean I kinda expected there to be a gratuity thing since there's 7 of us, but what I didn't realize it applied to parties of 5 and above and it was a staggering 18%. I mean, it's kinda ridiculous if you think about it because if it's 5 people or above then if a family of 5 comes in they'd definitely have to pay the 18% gratuity. Kinda ridiculous. My boyfriend was confused about that as well and when we got home we checked online, and apparently if they don't tell you ahead of time or put it somewhere on the menu where it tells you about the 18% gratuity fee, it's technically illegal and they are NOT allowed to do that by law. I mean we didn't really pay attention and that's definitely something we're gonna keep an eye out for next time, but the waitress should've mentioned it to us before we ordered. And being college students, the 18% gratuity jacked up our bill to a ridiculous amount. The service wasn't super amazing either: it was hard to find her when we wanted to order, and when we didn't she kept on coming by our table asking if we were ready. Bottom line, I'd definitely go back again because the sushi was good enough, but I wouldn't go back with a large party.
(3)Why T.
Best sushi in Santa Cruz! Kevin and the staff really make great food! Always friendly and accommodating! I have never, in the 8 years going to this place, had a bad meal, or service. Our order always comes up right and the staff is so friendly and on top of things. The best of Santa Cruz for sure!
(5)Madeleine L.
Crabby roll is still the best, but there are definite winners and losers from the maki maki rolls menu. Stray cat was not a roll I'd get again, not sure if it was the shizo or the katsuo but one ingredient threw the balance off and left a strong flavor that really overpowered all the simpler rolls we got and was a little unpleasant. I guess I just need to be a little more careful making my selections from the menu.
(3)Kim D.
Great location and love the ingredients they use. A fresh approach to a traditional food. Love the pickled appetizer.
(3)Natalie P.
Worst sushi in santa cruz why even waste your time with this place when every other sushi place is better? If you wanna spend 2 whole hours there waiting to get your order taken, waiting forever to be served the mediocre food, waiting forever for the check, and waiting forever for your change/receipt then sure. But no its not worth it and the nasty fake crab they use is gross? Its not even the tasty kind of fake crab its just nasty slices of booboo plus the rolls are overpriced and they try to get you with these deals where they just deepfry some crap and throw it on top of the roll and call it a $12 special. Do yourself a favor and walk down the street to I Heart Sushi and get the dinner combination box with 3 items for the same price as one nasty ass roll at Mobo.
(1)Nora H.
I was in charge of planning my best friend's birthday dinner last month, so when I called to make the reservation for 17 people at 6pm on a Saturday (Memorial Weekend too!), I was a little nervous. I've had plenty of not-so-great experiences with big dinner parties at restaurants, so I had my fingers crossed. And...Mobo Sushi was amazing! :) When we all arrived, we waited just a couple of minutes for them to finish getting our humongous table ready. We all sat down and they took our drink orders shortly. I was surprised at how fast the drinks came out! A bunch of us ordered cocktails and beers, and they came almost right after we ordered even though it was a busy night. I got the Absolut Arnold, which is pretty much an Arnold Palmer with tea-flavored vodka instead of regular tea. Delicious! And very strong. I wasn't the only one feelin that one. ;) Then we all ordered our sushi. I got the Nor Cal Roll, which was described as a California Roll with popcorn shrimp. I was not expecting the mountain of popcorn shrimp that came with it but that's what I got! It was great though, because I passed some around to everyone because everyone wanted to try - it looked yummy and it absolutely was. They had some kind of honey glaze (I think) on the shrimp that made it incredible. And the California Roll was the best I've ever had! :D Everyone else was raving about the sushi the entire time we were there. I'm normally not even a huge sushi fan, but clearly I've been eating some mediocre sushi before this point! We got the bill after everyone finished and the 18% gratuity was added. Considering how many people were there, it was a reasonable bill! Luckily almost everyone brought cash, so we didn't have to hassle them with various credit cards. They handled the bill quickly and off we went! In and out in an hour and a half. On a Saturday night with 17 people! Awesome service, awesome food, go check it out.
(5)Alessandra I.
Good sushi! Friday and saturday nights ya get a free sake bomb...... they line the bar and ya count down and BOOM.....Sake for everyone! The pricing is right for me as well.
(5)Vic V.
Excellent choice for a wide variety of sushi and other fresh Japanese foods.
(4)Lesley H.
Out of all the sushi places I've been to in Santa Cruz, I have to say that Mobo is probably the best (although that's not saying much considering its competitors). I come here and suggest coming here when I want sushi and do not want to head over to san jose. The food is average. Nothing spectacular. Same with the service (just alright).
(3)Yvette B.
Ate here a couple times for the vegetarian options but after tonight I'll make sure to tell everyone to steer clear of this place! One of the waitresses was sloppy DRUNK and called one of the customers a "d!ckhe@d" and it caused a big scene (understandably). SO TACKY and so unprofessional it ruined my meal. I asked the upset party what happened as they were leaving to their car and apparently they asked for a different waitress because theirs was clearly drunk & rude and everything after that was fine till they were leaving (they paid the bill & still tipped!) and she called one of them a d!ckhe@d. lol. The manager appologized on her behalf and explained she had too many sake bombs and refunded their money. Why do they let their staff get wasted on company time? I dunno and don't care but I'll definetly never come back because I don't want to be sat in the drunken waitress section and have another meal ruined. I hope they write a review so I can hear the whole story!
(1)Jeffrey S.
Spicy Big Mac roll - terrible name, super tasty. Nigiri can be hit or miss. Great wait staff and free saki bombs!
(4)Cait C.
I've been going to Mobo for a little over a year now. I love sushi, and although I can say it's not the best place for very traditional sushi, it is fantastic for more experimental makis and is the best place for vegetarian sushi. My boyfriend is allergic to fish, so we greatly appreciate that they have more vegetarian options than a "Kappa Roll" and they always separate the veggie rolls from fish rolls. Our personal favorite veggie rolls are: Magic, Vern, and Guido. I would be in love if they would add some alternative meat rolls.
(4)Aaron N.
Mobos is one of my favorite sushi places in all of the Bay Area. Food is great and good prices. I love most of the rolls, and The Crunch Dragon Special is an all time favorite. My girlfriend is allergic to seafood and orders the vegetarian sushi, she loves the selection and great combos they offer. (Most other sushi places do "veggie rolls" that are one or two bits of vegetable in rice-lame! But not, Mobos) They go all-out on Veggie rolls and seafood rolls. Delicious! Sometimes we drive all the way to Santa just to eat at Mobos. its that good! Oh, and they also do a cool Sake Bomb domino trick at the bar on Friday and Saturday evenings and then you can get the drinks for 1 penny each. Awesome! We have looked all over the peninsula and still can't find any sushi place as good as Mobos.
(5)Lin V.
Waitress made us order 2 minutes stepping foot in the place, in a DARK corner AWAY from everything. Told us last call - then 4 people came in 30 minutes later and were seated and ordered even though "last call" was supposedly 30 minutes ago.. There are better places then Mobo Sushi, the fish isn't even of good quality. Overpriced mediocre, lower grade then grocery store sushi but seemed to be either frozen and deep fried or microwaved, then served on a plate pretending to pass as "fresh" quality. Go somewhere else like I love sushi or Totoro if you're craving sushi in Santa Cruz.
(1)Pete P.
First off I must say I am rating this Sushi Bar a 3.5 stars. We tried a few different rolls and I must say the Spicy Big Mac was delicious. In fact, the other 2 rolls we ate were great too. The problem and the reason for 3.5 stars instead of 4, the Fresh Salmon Sashimi had a bone. First time ever in a Sushi Bar getting a bone in the Sashimi. Service was decent but like I said, a bone?? I do recommend Mobo and will be back in the future.
(3)Pacifica F.
Mobo sushi is so good that I've stopped eating at all other sushi joints cause it's always a let down compared to Mobo. Living in Pacifica means that I don't get to eat sushi very often now, but it makes that trip to Mobo all the more special. Outstanding prices - I eat like a queen and it's never a pain in the wallet. Incredibly fresh fish and beautiful rolls, most with cashews or macadamia nuts. MMMMMM Easy Pickle, Presto Maki, Broccoli Maki, Vern Maki, Magic Maki, and an extra Broccoli roll to go to savor on the way home after seeing a good show at Moe's Alley :-)
(5)Martha A.
This place has the best sushi in town. I love that they have a good selection of vegan appetizers and vegan sushi that is consistently good. I'm giving it 4 instead of 5 stars because customer service can be spotty, and their drinks are weak and expensive. It can be busy, and once it is, it is really loud. So if noise is a factor for you, try this place out for lunch or early dinner.
(4)Tona K.
I love sushi and I love Mobo! So yummy every time!
(5)Kay D.
Mobo used to be my go to sushi spot in town. The last few times I have been there I have been very disappointed. The service awful. The last time I was there I had to flag down the bus boys numerous times just to get a waitress to come to our table. The food is still decent but overall, Mobo has lost some of it's Mojo!
(2)Alanna L.
They have a wide selection of rolls, so there is something for everyone.
(5)Eli L.
The sushi is freakin good!!! Bento box freakin hit the spot And the whole rest of the day i was still freakin craving the california rolls!! FREAKIN EH!!
(5)Colin C.
Mobo's has the best sushi in the area. They also have many delicious vegetarian options, gluten-free soy sauce, and are cheaper than other restaurants.
(5)Jess N.
To be honest I'm not really a sushi person...well, I hate seafood. If I go to a Japanese/sushi restaurant, I always order the California roll. But I wanted to try something new when I came here. I got the calamari roll and it was good. I was very glad I ordered it. It was a fun experience at Mobo Sushi. It was entertaining watching the chief make the sushi. After me and my friends finished and asked for the check. This one server lady got our check ready, we paid and she took it away and we waited. After she came back she gave us the most horrible attitude ever and said "what? No tips?!" and rolled her eyes. Lady, we were waiting for our cards and the receipt. How the hell can we give tip if we didn't have any paper money and a piece of paper and pen?! Two star bc of that rude server...other than that it was a perfect dinner.
(2)Carrie P.
Ok...so had lunch their for the first time today. I'm not a big fan of too many sushi places in Scotts Valley and Santa Cruz because I love great flavor and most boring and the rolls taste the same (boring). However I had one of their special rolls called the Death Star and it was really really tasty ! It had tuna (i asked for spicy tuna), basil, garlic, macadamia nuts and cream cheese. OMG! It was awesome!! My son had the NORCAL roll, which was a California Roll with an OVERLOAD of popcorn shrimp over the top. He said it was fantastic. I tasted the popcorn shrimp and it was very good. Why not the five full stars you ask?...Well it took forever to get our lunch. There were 5 of us and we had to waive down the server to get more water. She never touched base after we ordered even to say thanks for waiting. We was, however, knowledgeable and gave a good recommendation/alternative choice when she took our order. Just know in advance that if you have 5 people (doesn't seem like a lot at lunch) they imbedded the 18% gratuity automatically which kinda upset us cause service wasn't great. The server's attitude appeared she was having a horrible day. We mentioned it to manager and he gave pretty much a "who cares" attitude. I will give them another try just cause their food was that yummy! Also it was $30 for two of us (water only) to eat...
(4)Adele T.
Mobo is one of the best for sushi in SC, which is sadly lacking but what can you do. However what puts mobo over the top and to the top of my sushi list are the FREE sake bombs on fri and sat. This is really a fun little production they put on where 100 sake bombs are lined up like dominos, then handed out, happens around 9 pm. You can usually get two if you finish your first in a decent amount of time :) But really mobo needed to find a way to differentiate themselves and they did it! makes for a fun place to bring friends who havent seen it, or just a good deal bc youre getting a couple drinks for free. Definitely worth checking out!
(4)Judy V.
I don't know why all my friends love this place. I mean, it's okay, but that's about it. I've been here several times it is consistently average. When I go out for sushi, that's what I get so I can't speak to any of the other Japanese dishes. The selection of fish is smaller than I Love Sushi and they are more expensive. The fish is good and the rolls are fun, but for the price I would go down the street. The service has always, and I mean every time I've been there, been very slow and a bit rude. Maybe impatient is a better word. I'm sure I'll go here again because so many of my friends love it, I just really can't figure it out.
(2)Benjamin W.
Pretty chill Sushi place, pretty big and the ambiance was nice too. When I came it was super packed, and they served us on one of those fold-able target tables... which was fine I guess, I rather eat on that thing than wait for a long time. This time round I did not order sushi, instead I got the bento box thingies. It was pretty good, nothing fancy or explody going on, your typical Santa Cruz sushi restaurant... Why are there so many sushi places here in SC?? Anyway, service was good, ambiance was nice, and food was pretty ok, parking is easy because there's a huge lot.
(3)Kelly B.
We came here to pick up a gift certificate for a Christmas gift. Since it was lunchtime and we were hungry, we stayed to eat and I am so glad that we did! They have an extensive selection of vegetarian and vegan sushi rolls and the prices are very reasonable. We selected five rolls (three veg and two vegan) and nothing disappointed us. In fact, everything was very delicious and fresh! Some were unexpected combinations that delivered complex but tasty flavors. We were more than full and still had enough left over to take home. Service was excellent and truly exceeded every possible expectation. Our server was so nice and prompt. The food came quickly - no long wait for the rolls! Ambiance is not fancy, but it is clean and spacious. The food seems to be the real standout here. If you are vegetarian or vegan and are looking for great sushi that offers more than just avocado and cucumber rolls, this is a place you should check out. We are excited to have found a fresh, delicious and affordable sushi restaurant and look forward to coming back to try more from the menu!
(5)Ivy C.
Let me sum up my experience. - Server asked if we were ready 2 minutes after sitting. No. We are not. Obviously. - 15 minutes later, server comes back to take our order. - 45 minutes later we finally get our food. - One of the rolls was wrong. - 10 minutes later, we find our server to complain. She takes the roll back. - 20 minutes later, server comes to see if we want anything else or to close the bill.... wtf I thought you were replacing the roll? No. She just canceled the order... - So she offers the girl ice cream. - Tasty, but my poor friend only ate one small tuna maki roll, and ice cream. - Left a horrible tip (which I never do) and wrote in the comment box. I think the manager or owner came and took our comment straight out of my hands and went straight to the server, making the situation very awkward and uncomfortable. My advice, replace the dyed redhead server or have better rules regarding incorrect rolls. I am staying clear of this place for a while.
(1)Kes D.
Mobo has expanded since I graduated in 2008 (I think they took over what used to be a jewelry store next door...) Their rolls remain largely the same (except like a "SUPER ROLLLLLL" menu that seems like it was meant to compete with "I Love Sushi"). Flying Tiger (shrimp tempura, avocado, but not too heavy) & Sushi Rage *hamachi, shiso, green onion, good counter to heavy rolls) = good deviations on traditional Japanese food in American rolls. Pink caddy = sorta bland, wouldn't recommend Krazy kat = kinda cool, different actually. This had a nice kick to it. Full bar + Good american sushi rolls + pretty good service = win!! Service is actually better now. Maybe because they get to wear comfy t-shirts instead of stereotypical asian qipao (which are Chinese by the way) or short length wanna be yukata. Our server was really nice but I do feel like she was pushing us out a little bit. Overall, 4 stars. Still one of my favorite sushi places after many years, and I'd say I'm a bit of a foodie by now.
(4)Donna R.
We came here on several people's recommendations and found the place lived up to its reputation. Very innovative rolls! A TON of food for the money. Two people pigged out plus had beer and sake for under $40. We ordered a specialty roll ("the eliminator"), a souped up eel-cucumber roll with cilantro, lemon, and macadamia nuts - yum! Also the Maui-wowie, which added macadamia nuts to a tuna-avocado roll. The scooter roll came with soft shell crab, burdock root, cucumber, avocado, and lemon. We also ordered two interesting vegetarian rolls - the "artishaw" (artichoke, avocado, cashew) and the "ultimate mushroom" with shiitake and picked radish. Also inari came with picked radish and carrot - an intriguing improvement to the traditional, and at least twice the size. So, that's what we *ordered*. We definitely got that amount of sushi.... I think they may have improvised some ingredients here and there. We didn't mind the variations, as it was all tasty and very affordable for sushi.
(4)Melissa T.
Not my number one sushi spot in Santa Cruz. I've been here twice. Service is inconsistent. One time we sat for an hour and then the waitress came, only to tell us it would be longer. They gave us a free seaweed salad for our troubles, but we had TV to watch! Important show, that I now forget which show. Oh well. The other time, it was a little better. Their sushi is mediocre and they have nothing really going for them. Nothing exciting. Just a place that serves sushi. Oh, it's really big so you don't really have to wait. But other than that, I would rather go to Totoros.
(2)A R.
bummer. I loved this place back in the 90's, they had fresh wasabi and it always felt special to go there. the other night I was in Santa Cruz for a concert and took my friend here. no fresh wasabi. rude staff. and some fishy fish. not terrible, but not what it used to be and not at all great. if you drive all the way down to santa cruz go some place amazing, hopeful someplace similar to the way mobo was once upon a time.
(2)Lauren L.
WOW! My fiance, sister and myself went here for dinner a couple of weeks ago. The food is always amazing. Their rolls are very creative and the fish is always very fresh. We even got to see an amazing sake bomb domino! Must have been 100 sake bombs on the bar! 1st time seeing this and it was a great way to start the meal, plus we each got a yummy sake bomb! Fave roll=death star, eliminator, tsunami. SO GOOD! Also, the back patio is magical, the foliage and lighting make for a very romantic evening. youtube.com/watch?v=tbVh…
(5)Pris S.
I love the sushi at Mobo! Recommendation: Starstruck (with fresh salmon), Norcal and the hamachi nigiri. They never disappoint. I order takeout from there all the time. It's hidden in a plaza and it's presence and reputation is not as big as I Love Sushi, but i definitely prefer Mobo over I Love Sushi (despite it being my favorite when i was a first year in Santa Cruz). Now if only their customer service was up to par with their food. Every time i eat there, our waitress is always careless, no matter who. They do their mandated one check-in and they always take up to 20 minutes before taking our orders before disappearing until they give us the check. I'd definitely recommend better customer service if Mobo would like to make it's presence bigger downtown. Their food is delicious and their ambiance is wonderful!
(3)Travis I.
Their creativity (which too many sushi snobs take as an offense and a degradation of the "art of sushi") balances their mediocre service. Located just off Pacific Ave, near Trader Joes, Mobo Sushi is a great compromise for those of us who know of better sushi places, but are stuck in a non-foodie town like Santa Cruz. By no means "bad" sushi, Mobo provides some really cool new-age fusion sushi rolls. And though I'm not really into fusion sushi, the rolls I've had here have certainly curbed my voracious sushi cravings, on drunken weekend nights. I would not, however, say this place is award-winning, nor is it in my top ten list. BUT, like I said, when you're stuck in the Cruz, this will more than suffice. For added satisfaction: add sake.
(3)A D A.
I've been an addict for many many years. I have three things to say... Tempura Corruptor Death Star Presto Maki Love love love..... Great website!
(5)natasha m.
Love it, good service fresh rolls. I love that u can have any roll in a cucumber if u are not feeling the rice. They have free sakebomb fri and sat nights .
(5)Roy C.
Food is consistently fair. An interesting array of decadent roll creations and reasonably fresh fish. Skill level of assembly is competent. Seating available at sushi bars, or one of several noisy, crowded dining rooms. Service is where this restaurant fails. At best, it's brusk and at worst it is downright argumentative and rude.
(2)Max P.
This restaurant has some of the best sushi I've ever had, but some of the items are not up to par with others. Get the Salmon Baker with tempura flakes on top. It will set you back 15-16$ but this is a roll sent from above! unbelievably tasty, though far from traditional. I also recommend the Special K roll if you want something a little less filling and expensive. There's a lot to try at Mobo but if you don't like something, try something else. You wont be sorry.
(5)Meghan O.
Love this place sooo much!!!! Amazing food, great service, fun atmosphere. Definitely my fav restaurant in Santa Cruz!!! :)
(5)Trinh N.
If I could give this place zero stars, I would, but it's not an option. If you enjoy good fish, DO NOT EAT HERE. Mobo's rolls are sushi flavored junk food, with barely any fish inside. The rolls are huge, so you just fill up on cheap rice and all the other fillings, not fish. I have no clue what the hype about this place is, the quality of the food is horrible. I have been to this place a handful of times and always think to myself, maybe this time will be good. Well, that will never happen because I have just come to realize this place is completely overrated. One time, my friends and I were peeling the seaweed off the roll because it was rubbery and hard to chew, seriously. This is the only sushi establishment I have ever known to get their seaweed wrong, never mind the fish and everything else. The service is poor, the waitresses are rude and not attentive at all. The owner is an asshole on top of all this. They don't even put table clothes on the plastic tables from Costco. I thought this place was supposed to be somewhat classy?!? Do yourself a favor and don't eat here. From now on, I refuse to hang out with my friends if they are having dinner here. It's really that bad because I love my friends but I hate the food here. NEVER AGAIN MOBO!!
(1)Jeromy G.
Lot's of people hate on this restaurant because they say its cheaply made sushi and not good. I don't think it's that bad, its tasty and cheap which is nice. Granted not the best sushi in the world but its okay for Santa Cruz. I always get the MacRandy roll, maybe its bomb because its fried and you can't mess up fried items right? But I like the rolls and the service is pretty good. At least every time I go I get my food quickly. However it seems like they despise large groups and paying separately so try to avoid that because you don't want Japanese women yielding sushi knives being mad at you. But they do this cool sake bomb thing which is like 1000 sake bombs all over the sushi bar and they give them out at certain times, I think weekends? Never seen it in person just youtube but I think that's pretty cool.
(3)Jessica L.
My first time coming to this sushi restaurant was ok, but the service wasn't that great. I thought I would give It a second try so I came with my sister and her boyfriend who were regulars and thought maybe it would be different the second time. Nope, it actually was worse. Our server took forever to take our order, she forgot some food, and to top it off my sister found a hair rolled into her sushi. I thought they would remove her plate but all the server did was look at the sushi and said she would be right back. She brought her a new sushi but still hadn't removed the plate. Having to see a sushi with a hair in it and trying to eat the new roll I would say would take my appetite away. Gross.
(2)Nima S.
This is the only restaurant where I felt so appalled at the service I didn't tip at all; on a $80 tab.
(1)robin o.
The food was mediocre, at best. The service was atrocious. My party of 6 was asked to leave after we lingered for a few minutes after the bill (with 20% tip) was taken. We hadn't finished our sake and beer when the waitress approached and told us that she needed the table because people were waiting. This place would be out of business within 6months in a larger city. The gimmicky rolls are all flare and no substance.
(1)Daniel J.
Mobo is sushi with style, you know. It's a nice blend of Japanese and American. It's got a huge menu selection. The sushi is right and the vibe in there is delicious. This is the only sushi place I have ever craved enough to go grab take out even when I only had about 20 dollars to my name. I miss college. Get the Mercedes Roll.
(4)kristin e.
starved for sushi in sushi starved santa cruz, i went here last night and like Jennifer R.'s review below, i also noticed that a lot of rolls had macadamia nuts and cashews in them and i guess that deserves a star on its own (this is the first time i've encountered those nuts in sushi). the cashews offered a nice sweet unexpected crunch to the chewiness. tried the starstruck and special k rolls and they weren't too bad (and the rolls kept falling apart everytime i picked one up) but i wasn't super-wowed by it...in fact i think cheapo place Kitaro back in SF had better quality and flavor. their hamachi-kama (yellowtail collar) was pretty tender and a good size (also served on a bed of rice with a slight drizzle of teriyaki sauce) for the price, so that deserves a star. gets another point for friendly staff, another star for being open late (would've went over to masako's but they were closed at 9:30pm) and another star for having a full bar (a lot of sushi joints i've been to only serve beer and wine). ps: doesn't take amex
(3)Liz N.
This is my all time favorite sushi place, their fish and sushi rolls are just awesome. I've tried some of their appetizers and have not been impressed, except for the "Quite a Pickle" which is a plate of Japanese pickled (and not) veggies. Their other appetizers weren't all that great. But their sushi is the best I've ever had and they have really good prices too.
(5)QuestionmarkFace S.
It's soooo good! Best sushi in S.C. hands down. Full bar is always a good thing and check the lunch special.
(5)James C.
I don't have high expectations because it is Santa Cruz but shit, mobo is still crappy. First time I went there I had the udon. I would have been better off if I had just bought dehydrated noodles from the market and added hot water, at least that way I know it's gonna be crappy and I won't feel guilty about spending 8 bucks that could have gone to 16 tacos from jack in the box, or towards a meal at China1 buffet. The second time I went there I had some sort of fish. All I really remember about it was that it tasted more like a Thai dish than japanese. I'm not saying that it was all that bad, but it's kinda like going to a chinese restaurant, ordering chow mein, but ending up with spaghetti. 3 stars just because I like looking at their fish tank
(3)Renee N.
I must confess that I am allergic to shellfish, fish. That excludes me from a lot of food at any sushi joint, so I can't judge a place on the freshness or variety of marine life. That said, Thursday has sort of become Mobo night for us. I don't like eating inside (too noisy) so the patio is the place to be. We seem to get the same table (far from the deadly and unappetizing bug-zapper!) every time we go. The service can be pretty slow on a busy night (and even slow on not so busy nights!) so I may take to ordering two drinks at a time. Last night it took 15 minutes or so to get our Miso and Salads! When I did get my salad it barley had any dressing so I had to request more before digging in. The Gyozo at Mobo may be the best I've had. I love the slightly crispy flaky texture. I really enjoy the selection of vegetarian rolls at Mobo. I get the Lori Maki because it has a high 'surprise' factor. Sometimes I order it and its totally different from the last time I've ordered it! I don't know if someone gets my order wrong or if its the personality of whoever makes it, but its never disappointed. I love that they give me the option of tempura'ing any roll! And the tempura banana is quite good.
(3)TW H.
Delicious tempura. You can order that with confidence! I've never had a bad meal here. Really starving? Try a bento box for a filling meal. The little salads are so tasty (cucumber, seaweed) and they have those cool heaters in the winter so you can sit outside. I don't drink Saki, but I've heard it's good. I love Mobo; fresh lovely and creative touches abound filling your mouth with lusciousness.
(5)Dan Z.
I've had sushi at almost everyplace in town, and this is still my fav. The rolls are a good size and the selection is amazing, like 30 something rolls! The Nigiri is fresh and well cut. Never had bad service. I have heard they aren't exactly authentic but the name of the place is Mobo, it's explained in the menu, an old term meaning Modern Boys, hence, more modern sushi. It's worth a try if you love good sushi and are willing to break away for something alittle more fun.
(5)Kiran D.
As a local, this place is way over priced, and over hyped. Its a tourist trap. You want good sushi, go to Naka sushi on 41st. Yes, at Mobo,the owner gives away a beer and saki shooter on Saturday nights, And for that your going to pay way too much every other night. Also, a friend was charged $20.00 for a meal that arrived full of tofu ( not mentioned on the menu and an allergy!) but the owner made them pay for it, after examining the menu and saying they would change that. Its just a rip off joint for the tourists, Santa Cruz has much better on offer!
(1)Kelly M.
This place gets 2 stars because my friend was happy with his sushi meal. I did not like anything about my dinner. I ordered chicken teriyaki and vegetable tempura. The salad was nicely sized and tasted okay, but I've had better. The Miso soup was luke-warm, not hot, and tasted "funny" to me. I did not like the taste of the Teriyaki sauce on the chicken. I usually love vegetable tempura, especially sweet potato, of which I got several pieces. However, it had no taste. I can't explain why it wasn't good; I just know it's been better just about everywhere else I've had it. By the looks of my friend's sushi, I would have been unhappy with that as well because it was all wrapped in cucumber instead of seaweed. (He really liked it though). Portion size and service was good, but unfortunately, I did not like the food and would not go back.
(2)Caroline M.
For Santa Cruz, Mobo has pretty good sushi. For the fish sushi, I'd give three stars, but I'll bump them up half a star because my boyfriend hates fish but will come to Mobo for their vegetarian sushi rolls -- lots of interesting choices for him! I'll also bump them up another half star because we walked in one Saturday night, and were greeted by rows and rows of beer in glasses with sake balanced on top. The bartender did an amazing trick where all the sake glasses tipped in like dominos, and we all got a free drink. Gimicky? Maybe. But also pretty awesome. :)
(4)Kathleen S.
This place is probably one of my go-to sushi places (along with sushi Totoro) in the Santa Cruz area. First of all, who's down for free sake bombs on Friday nights?! I am!! They aren't horrible either which is nice!! Make sure to go around 8:30-8:45 PM when the sake bomb train starts! It makes a great video to show to your friends :) Anyways onto the food. I've gotten the Nor-Cal roll which is literally six or so pieces of California roll topped off with TONS of crunchy popcorn shrimp.. and I mean TONS. I don't really know who came up with this idea.. but you would really only get full off the crunchy stuff. Honestly, not my cup of tea. And especially for 13.95? Eh, I'll pass.. Last week I came here with two of my girlfriends and we split three rolls: the Salmon Baker (14.95), Crunchy Dragon (14.95) and the Landshark (7.95). Each roll had about 6-8 pieces and surprisingly, we were all somewhat satisfied after eating everything (maybe it was the sake bombs..). I have to admit though, I can't really think of a distinct taste for each one of the rolls except for the Salmon Baker, since that one was a baked roll with tons of cream cheese and salmon. A little too creamy for my taste, but it was filling. Overall, I would give this place three stars for overall quality of food. But one extra star for service; shout out to my girls Diana for being my server and Annie the hostess of the night :)
(4)Christine J.
This place was fantastic!!! The sushi selection was huge; great quality; great service. The sake was fantastic. And to top it all, the bartender does a sake bomb domino act -- the result: sake bombs for everyone! Would definitely go back when in Santa Cruz.
(5)Dani S.
Mobo, you never disappoint!! I am pregnant and still frequent Mobos for sushi, YES raw sushi, because I'm more the confident in their years and years of delivering great fresh fish in all their rolls! They have a nice LARGE menu full of options to deliver even the most finicky eater! Both hot, cold, fired, raw, vegetarian and allergy options on their menu. I definite local favorite! Don't miss out on Friday and Saturday sake bomb night after 8pm!! It's the bomb! (*pun intended*)
(5)Samantha C.
Not good. way too pricy for the amount of sushi actually given. I would not come back
(1)Amanda B.
Great sushi restraint ! Food served very fast. Must try the ginger tea, it's amazing.
(5)Cris G.
Really good sushi for a bit of a price. I highly recommend the Landshark. They have a good looking sushi and beverage bar. It was good I really enjoyed it.
(3)Adrienne L.
Pricey side for sushi place. 6-7$ basic roll, $20 bento Hot tea costs 1.50$!! Did not know the tea would not be free. Ridiculous. Do offer some interesting combos - they offer katsuo and Saba in rolls. They have miso mayo, cashews, coconut, macadamia nuts, etc. Also appears they have a fair amount of vegan options. (though why go to a sushi restaurant.) and kids options are also nice. Sushi rice and seaweed quality is not par. A bit chewy like a store bought seaweed. Although the rice differed on some of our rolls. Beamer roll (sub fresh sake)- good combo, somewhat like a "crazy roll" found at other places. Krazy Kat roll- good flavors with the ginger and green onion, spicy mayo has a notable kick Moon cruzer roll- fresh Hotate, very mild (fresh) slammin'- (sub fresh sake) like a 49er with cilantro. But still a refreshing combo of flavors. Chicken teriyaki was dry and the broccoli just boiled- def not worth getting. Service: had to ask for plates to eat our sushi, rice bowl was served crammed on the teriyaki plate, service is slow in general (rolls were not fast like other places), waitress wasn't always to be found, and they didn't always clear dishes.
(3)Nicole B.
Okay sushi, not great. First time I came here I had the Kat in the Hat. That was the best thing out of anything I ordered. Katsuo fish wrapped around scallop with tobiko. Second time I came, I ordered the same thing. Something was tasting not so fresh, not sure if it was the katsuo or the scallop...needless to say I won't be ordering it again. Rolls are decent, nothing to write home about. One plus is the wasabi tastes fresher and spicier than anywhere else I've tried in town. Another plus is that they're open late. One pet peeve I have is seeing people who work in a restaurant smoking cigarettes. What they do in their personal time is their business, not mine. But walking up to the restaurant and seeing one of the waitresses sitting on the curb smoking in her uniform during open hours is a bit of a turnoff. If the restaurant is closed and you're not serving food anymore, that's a different story! Not entirely appetizing if you're the one who's going to be handling my food. But to give her the benefit of the doubt, maybe her shift was done for the night. Not such a horrible place that I'm saying I'll never return, but I'm definitely not going out of my way to go back in anytime soon.
(2)Tim F.
Not the best sushi in the world, but the best in Santa Cruz. Stands out from the plethora of middling sushi in Santa Cruz because of it's freshness, veggie rolls (if that's your thing) and creativity. I've never really had to wait long, and they expanded a couple years back so there are even more seats now. The same waitresses have been working here as long as I can remember and I think that is usually a pretty good sign. I recommend the Valhalla and the Guido.
(4)Ana M.
The fish is fresh, the roll selections are phenomenal and the service is descent. They also have the best seaweed salad! I definitely recommend this place! Oh and the outdoor seating is also very nice.
(4)Kirsten P.
Mobo Sushi is my go-to spot in Santa Cruz for vegetarian or vegan sushi. While most places only offer the standard vegetable or avocado roll, Mobo has a whole list of creative vegetarian options to choose from.They use interesting flavor combinations and ingredients that I don't often often see in sushi. I tried the Emerald City, Iron Man, and Miami Roll. The Miami Roll was definitely the best. The acidity of the lemon goes perfectly with the tempura yam. My boyfriend and I fought over the last piece. The Iron Man was a little disappointing. I like the flavor of the beets, but the tofu did not have the smoky flavor that I was expecting. In all, the food was flavorful and the atmosphere was relaxing. Mobo only gets a star off for the very slow service. I came in the late afternoon on a Saturday and the restaurant was mostly empty. We were quick to be seated and had our order taken, but the food took forever to get to us. We had to ask another waitress to check on our order. Come here if you want delicious vegetarian or vegan sushi, but plan for a long wait for your order.
(4)Mugui G.
They sure know how to put on a show here. Get a booth adjacent to the "arena" area if you can. I enjoyed it a lot. I've sat at the "regular" area and had a very pleasant experience there as well. Definetely a fun place to go to.
(4)Peggy S.
Every time I've been here is out of desperation... The most recent one was due to being way too cold from going to the Boardwalk and needing a hot bowl of noodle at 9:30 p.m. to warm up before heading home to pass out from a day of wine tasting. We walked in at 9:20, the place had us, one other table, and a few people at the sushi bar. We were given two menus and the waiting game began. Didn't get our orders and didn't get any water. Had to ask twice for water. Seemed like they were more interested in serving the table that came in 5 minutes after us. Matt B. and I both ordered Nabeyaki udon, and it was not on the cheap side given the quality of the mushy noodles and hard, grilled beef that were sliced into strips and dumped into the soup. The soup base was way too salty, but the good thing was they gave us enough veggies to make me content. And of course it took us a while to pay and leave... if I must come back again, I will probably need a very desperate reason.
(2)Lisa N.
I would say that Mobo's is definitely on my list of top Sushi places in Santa Cruz! The fish is so fresh and they have a pretty large selection of rolls. The servings are decently sized and price is usual for sushi. I have had a really great experience with the service here. The servers have always been very friendly and helpful with the menu. I would definitely recommend trying the food!
(5)Kailey M.
I came here not too long ago and spoiled myself with the chef choice rainbow roll. I was very impressed with the variety of fish and the presentation was very impressive too. They actually bring out the sushi roll looking like a dragon! Will absolutely be returning for more! :) Not to mention our server was very charming.
(4)Jayne M.
Outstanding sushi restaurant near Trader Joe's in Santa Cruz. Original, innovative and entertaining menu. Attentive but non-intrusive service. Exceptional high-quality food. We ate on the patio in back today and found it to be peaceful and private. Recommended.
(5)Annie T.
Santa Cruz doesn't have great Asian food, besides Thai. Sushi here is both mediocre and expensive. The only perk Mobo has is that every Friday and Saturday, there is a huge sake bomb fest with one of the owners of the restaurant. Unfortunately for me, I went when he was out of town. Moving onto the food, as a lover of sushi, I was definitely not impressed by the quality. There are some "specialty rolls," that are definitely different than what you would normally find - more fusion style. But they're expensive. The quality is not of very high either, but it does satisfy your cravings. The decorating is alright. Its pretty simple and inviting. I went for dinner and the lighting was a little dimmer. There are two rooms in which you may be seated in, plus sushi bar seating, so as you can imagine, the place is quite large. Staff is super friendly, and I'm assuming so is the owner if he does sake bombs every Friday and Saturday! What is nice about this sushi restaurant, compared to the other closer ones (I Love Sushi or Shogun) is that there is plenty of parking. It's off the main street (Pacific) and shares it's parking lot with two supermarkets - CVS and Whole Foods. Parking here is both free and never full! Probably won't be returning for the food, but definitely want to see this huge sake bomb fiesta!
(3)Shane M.
Visited this place for the first time today after seeing many positive reviews. I ordered a lunch special chicken teriyaki bento box and my girlfriend and I split a big Mac roll. The bento box consisted of a hastily thrown together pile of lettuce with minimal dressing and a small clump of veggies on top, chicken teriyaki that was okay at best, piled next to soggy carrots and broccoli Also included were some plain cifornia rolls that lacked flavor and freshness. The steamed rice was probably theost enjoyable part of the box. The big Mac roll tasted like a mushy clump of cheese and rice with a crisp, salty, deep fried seaweed wrap. I didnt eat more than one. Overall I will not be going back.
(1)Jeremiah S.
Soo- tonight I was walking through pacific garden mall finishing up on some last minute Christmas shopping,I needed a quick bite to help me push through the crowds of down town,an I thought sushi!!! I had been to mobo before but all my experiences combine didn't compare to the one I had tonight!! I walked in an right away was lead to a seat on their sushi bar,only a foot an a half away from the men that were crafting the fish an rice rolls that we all love soo much,a young girl named Vera approached me with a beautiful smile an brought me a glass of much needed water upon my request,soon after I ordered a wonderful plate of lightly grilled tuna topped with fresh veggies green onion and pickled ginger,all of witch were placed on a bed of perfectly cooked white rice-the food came out within 10-15 minutes of witch i was warned,do to the completely packed restaurant!! Over all I my experience was magnificent,other than the few paper towels I stepped on in the restroom!! THANK YOU MOBO!!
(4)Prime O.
The sushi is fresh and the staff is very attentive and friendly. I typically sit at the bar and hope that Jason is working, as he is my favorite sushi chef here. I give him 5 stars for his service & sushi creation. The atmosphere is fun, and if you like sushi for lunch, their lunch specials are well priced for the food you get.
(3)Margo L.
My boyfriend and I ate here. The staff was decent at their service. I had the bento box and he had the sushi roll combo b. We both thought it wasn't the best, the fish wasn't the freshest and we both felt sick after. He had eaten here once before and said it was decent, but not sure how it has gone down hill now. We will not be back after the experience today.
(1)Sherri C.
Mobo Sushi is a popular place in Santa Cruz, just off of the main downtown streets in a shopping plaza that also houses Trader Joe's. The fish has always been fresh and delicious. Many sushi restaurants overdo the rolls, but Mobo has a good balance of ingredients and presentation. I'm encouraged to try new items here, where other places make the same rolls over and over again with the same special "house" sauce or by tweaking one ingredient (that one has avocado, this one does not -- but the rest of the 10 gazillion ingredients in the rolls are the same). Mobo's selection is creative and large, not only for fish-lovers but also for vegetarians! And if you go on Friday or Saturday night, you might catch the cool falling domino sake bombs that the owner sets up for his customers. Bring your ID with you so you can pick up a complimentary beer after the presentation.
(4)Katrina T.
Hmmmn this place is like half good half not. I got mixed feelings about this place. Mobo Sushi also reminded me of a hippie-sushi-spot. Went with my little bro and we got the Pink Caddy, the NorCal, the Scooter Roll and the Flying Tiger. The Pink Caddy was actually the one I liked the most. The raw fish was really fresh and glazed with their sauce. The NorCal was the one that was ehh... I really liked the fried shrimp, but the shrimp they used was the frozen kind. The actual dish itself is worth trying because the portion is a lot. The Scooter Roll was sort of small, but I liked the soft shell crab. The Flying Tiger was unique because it had a lemon-y taste to it. The restaurant offers tons of variety in their menu. They have cool names for their sushi rolls even calling them car names! The prices are decent and much cheaper than other sushi restaurants. However the quality, is just alright.
(3)L M.
I hate cream cheese in sushi... Or at least I used to. The Death Star, eat it, love it. If you go anywhere else for sushi in SC you're fooling yourself. Although it does get very crowded.
(4)Prakruti N.
I love this place! I came here with a few friends to check this place out and I was very pleasantly surprised by the amount and variety of the vegetarian rolls this restaurant presented. The service was fine and there was a spacious seating area. My friend (who is also vegetarian) and I ordered four rolls in total: Guido, Crop Burning, the Miami Roll, and Iron Man. Of those, my personal favorites were the Guido (which is AMAZING) and the Miami roll. I am definitely coming back here whenever I am in the Santa Cruz area again. I highly recommend that vegetarians looking for awesome sushi places check this out!
(5)Diem T.
This is my favorite sushi place in Santa Cruz! Spicy Big Mac roll: it is deep fried with spicy tuna and sourcream with sauce on top yummm and roe on top! It is my favorite roll! :) The norcal roll" They give you so much popcorn shrimp on top! yummmm with a california roll on the bottom. Scallop roll : Is really good too! The first time I had their fried jalepeno with cream cheese and salmon was sooo good but the last time i ordered it their jalepeno wasn't cooked all the way like it should have been.
(4)Mac P.
Checked out Mobo last night. I sat at the bar, I thought the food was okay and the chef that served me was pretty cool. I wasn't terribly hungry I was just in the mood for Sushi so I didn't order a whole lot so when the bill came I noticed that I was over charged by $11. The waitress then tried to tell me that it was sales tax. I explained to her that I did account for sales tax by adding 10% which last time I checked the sales tax rate in Santa Cruz was 8.75% but I wanted to round up. After going over the bill she went back and corrected the mistake and apologized & she told me that she accidentally gave me someone else's bill. I thought to myself, "Wow, someone else here ordered exactly what I did, what a coincidence????" LOL!!! Now I do not mean to imply that Mobo is overcharging people on purpose, could be a simple mistake it happens but it appears that other Yelpers have had this same experience here. My overall conclusion is the food & the service is okay just be mindful of what you are being charged.
(3)Nate C.
Delicious, fresh fairly priced sushi and drinks. The atmosphere is mellow during the week with a more festive weekend crowd! Sake bombs on Friday and Saturday nights for the price of 1 cent at 830. The fish is fresh and well proportioned. The Miso is perfect temperature and taste, and the house sake is a nice flavor on the side. Come check it out!
(5)Mike B.
I like this place for a lot of reasons, one is the sake bombs on Friday and Saturday nights. They literally cover the bar with 100 sake bombs in a domino effect and everyone over 21 gets to drink one! They food is pretty good and it's good for groups. 4 stars instead of 5 cuz it's kinda noisy.
(4)Niccolina R.
I don't get to see my best friend and her boyfriend often and she swore that this place is the best. My boyfriend and I arrived early and we realized there was something very off about the waitress. She forgot our drinks and it was noticeably busy so I let it go. Not a big deal. Then my bff and her bf arrived. The waitress came back around to get drink orders and then literally forgot about us. We had to go get her and tell her we needed silverware. My food was cold and it became blatantly obvious she was wasted. My bff's bf kindly asked the manager for a new waitress. The manager is sooo incredibly nice. He was so attentive and understanding. He got us a uber nice waitress and all the issues prior melted away. The night was winding down and we got some to go boxes. My boyfriend and I were waiting for our friends to come outside and all of a sudden that drunk waitress starts screaming,"d*** head!" over and over again like a psycho. I was so appalled. Why would she do that? My friend and her boyfriend went back in trying to talk to the manager and no one would help them. Not to mention, that waitress was screaming at the top of her lungs. The manager had apparently went home but everyone left in charge acted like they couldn't help them. It was like pulling teeth trying to get help. Then the head sushi chef felt bad and kindly refunded their money. I feel really bad for the manager because he is super sweet and accommodating and for that waitress to represent him like that is just a shame. If you do decide to go, ask for another waitress if you get a woman with short blonde hair that resembles a dude. I've worked in the food service industry for the past 10 years. If a customer is unhappy, you do whatever it takes to make it better. Period. End of story. People left in charge when the manager is out should be able to handle these type of situations instead they all looked dumbfounded. I'm just appalled and kind of sad cuz it wasn't a bad sushi place.
(1)Felicia M.
This review is based on only having lunch here several times. We usually sit at the bar, but have also sat at a table. Service is the same, quick enough to get us in and out in a half hour or so. The lunch specials can't be beat, IMO. Whether you get the bento box special or the sushi special, the price is less than $10 each, and you get plenty of very good, fresh food in each of them. We've eaten sushi in plenty of places around the country, and Mobo is right on par with the ones we would keep going back to. Nothing is as good as, say, sushi in Hawaii, but this place is a very good value for getting your sushi fix at lunch.
(5)Christian D.
This place rocks, the bartender did a domino set of 50 sake bombs and gave away each 1 to everyone old enough to drink. Fun atmosphereThe house rolls were great, if I were a Santa Cruz local I'd definitely come here more often.
(5)Christine L.
This is, hands down, my favorite sushi spot in the Cruz! I'm so tired of everyone raving over I Love Sushi when let's be real, that place is mediocre AT BEST. If you're lookin for something better... look no further! I think it's a little bit more pricy but totes worth it. You get what you pay for. Funny story: I came here two nights before my 21st birthday...unknowingly the same night they were having free sake bombs. I got denied the free bomb so it's good (bad) to know they play by the rules .....right?
(5)Courtney G.
I am a sushi snob and I always love Mobo. I love the guido and I love my tobiko nigiri style. This is the first place I ever sunk my two little front teeth into a piece of raw fish as a child and I still come back. It's also my dad's favorite sushi spot in town and I have to honor it because he did live in Japan for three years. The only reason they didn't get a 5/5 is because they don't offer the medium sized tobiko. Here they use the teeney-tiny fish roe which just don't have the same sweet taste and texture and no I am not talking about the salmon row (yuck). I hope they consider carrying it, I can't remember if they ever did. hmph? Well, all in all I think they are fresh and delicious and just about the the best sushi spot in town. signed, Picky sushi snob, muah!
(4)Emma M.
Great Sushi! Also great amount per serving!
(5)Daniel S.
Why am I surprised to find such great sushi in Santa Cruz? Probably because Santa Cruz is a looong way away from San Francisco when it comes to culture, generally, and cuisine, specifically. That being said, Mobo is a special place. It's totally laid back and friendly, as you would expect, but the sushi is top notch and quite interesting. We especially enjoyed the Flying Tiger Roll (tempura black tiger shrimp, kamaboko, lemon, negi, avocado, miso mayo), the Miami Roll (tempura yam, avocado, negi, lemon, miso mayo) and the Special K Roll (unagi, smoked sake, lime, cashews, cream cheese). We can't wait to go back!
(4)Judith L.
My person and I were craving for sushi on a lazy Sunday afternoon and were thinking of Shogun. However they were closed that day and so we were forced to ask Yelp to see where else we could go to satisfy our crave. We saw Mobo and agreed to give it a shot even though we've never of it before being that Santa Cruz is so small. Long story short: - Ehhh service - Ordinary, ordinary, very ordinary sushi - Pricy So...no thanks. Why Mobo when there's Shogun and I Love Sushi?
(2)Irina Z.
Came in randomly craving some good sushi. Lucky for us we stumbled upon their lunch special ($10 for 3 rolls and a miso soup). Chefs were great and super quick, waitress was friendly and prompt. And the place is definitely up to par and really cute.
(5)Courtney R.
Cool spot but can be a little under staffed. This place seems to always be busy so one would think they would hire more sushi chefs for their busy nights but over all it's a cool experience and if you come at the right time you can get a free saki bomb:) The fish seems pretty fresh and they have creative rolls but this place can get really loud and worse at the end of the night as people have had more drinks.
(3)Chunti L.
They get creative with the rolls but the fish wasn't top notch. The yellowtail was a bit off with a very strong fishy taste. Seaweed salad was good but way overpriced for the small amount provided. Staff were nice (the waitresses) but the sushi chefs were very aloof and unfriendly. Maybe that's a Santa Cruz thing-I've always found the sushi scene in SC to be different from anywhere else. You sit at the bar but a surfer girl comes and takes your order, it makes no sense.....
(2)Lyna K.
This is American sushi. They are known for their specialty rolls, aka super big and heavy (mayo, tempura etc...). Definitely more of a sushi place for noobs IMO. I found the prices high for nigiri about $5.50 on up. Also the Guy Fieri look alike behind the sushi bar didn't help with the feel of a sushi spot. Sorry.
(2)Derek D.
As far as sushi goes in Santa Cruz, this is one of the better places. Go on Friday or Saturday night at 8pm for the domino saki bomb show.
(4)Notta S.
Highly variable and mediocre at best. We have dined in once and gotten take-out about six times. Each time I think to myself, maybe it will be better next time... Communication while ordering is not great, and our order has come back wrong several times. Worse, the sushi rolls are crammed full of flavorless rice. After the last set of clown rolls we received (see photo), I think I've finally given up. Safeway sushi is probably a safer bet. Nice fish tank, though.
(2)Jennifer B.
Mobo Sushi is my go to Sushi restaurant. Very consistent and reasonably priced for quality food. Service is good and great for big groups. Outside seating with heating. Kid friendly and great date place. I've been coming here way before the awesome free sake bombs and now that just tops the charts! The owner is always there and the staff is reasonably friendly.
(5)Elisabeth C.
Okay, I have mixed feelings about Mobo. It's a large place, good location with good parking. The first time I came I sat inside in the evening and it was so noisy and the service so slow that I wasn't sure I'd return. I had a bento box and there was way too much food for me to even consider eating! Lesson learned! The second time I came we sat outside in the very charming back area, surrounded by lovely plants and it was quiet and peaceful. Their tempura veges were good and plentiful, and the sushi was fresh, but too much rice in the rolls makes them clumsy and overwhelmed by rice! I have had better sushi but NOT in santa cruz. So all things considered, this will be my sushi restaurant of choice while I live here.
(4)Nou V.
I went here a few months back. The hype here is the sake bombs on the weekend. Sushi isn't amazing and I always have difficult finding a roll or something to eat. The waitress was kind enough to suggest her favorites but I wasn't going for anything deep fried or have cream cheese. I like my rolls to be packed with fish. I did get a roll here a year ago and it was a special at the time; moreover, it was decent. Though if you are down for okay-ish sushi and want to get your drink on then go or try it out. I know my vegetarian friend loves their veggies rolls options.
(2)Lorene C.
I think this is the best sushi in Santa Cruz. Although I will admit... I am one who isn't too adventurous in the seafood department and so I tend towards a more Americanized spin on sushi that isn't toooo fishy. Mobo allows me to take baby steps into the seafood world because it tastes so flippin good and not too fishy-ishy. Spicy Tuna rolls are bomb and the macadamia nut roll (it may be called the dark star?) is heaven and filling. The ginger is good and fresh. Did you know that if you eat a lot of ginger you can have hallucinogenic dreams!... mmmmm. Edamame is salted perfectly, goes swimmingly with the fresh large lemon chunk they give you, and the portion is generous. They aren't skimping here and the beans are luscious and green. Their water service is as good as it gets. I am a camel and drink water like it's going out of style and have never had to wait for a refill. I've been here 50 times and have always been impressed by their bussers/water dudes. If you sit at the bar you can watch the sushi makers do it right, and this is always hand and hand with a smile. And if you catch it at the end of the night, the music is also usually pretty good. This is one of those places I crave when I go down to Santa Cruz. Just listening to my body yo...
(5)Ashley W.
This review is based of having dinner the once. The service was good, the food, not so good. The rice was coarse and chewy. We purchased 3 speciality rolls and all were below average at best mediocre. The roll themselves were $15 and were barely filled with anything. To any or to all who claim this place place to be the best sushi in town or their number one sushi spot, you guys don't know what you're missing or what a proper sushi place is like. Take a trip out to the Bay Area to see what you are missing.
(1)Grace PyoungHwa L.
There aren't too many Japanese restaurants in Santa Cruz. I have tried Mobo several times and it isn't bad. It is a pretty generic japanese restaurant with rolls, bento boxes, udons, shioyaki's...etc. As a person who puts Japanese food as her top 3 favorite genres of foods, I would't say this place is extraordinary in any way. My dad, who is pretty knowledgeable when it comes to Japanese food, did not really enjoy this place. We are not sushi-drenched-in-sauce eaters. We are more into fresh sashimi and love the taste of fish itself. Mobo is definitely a place I would go when I have cravings for a bento box or a sushi roll, but if I'm looking for something more special, this is not the place I would go. Ultimately, I recommend Mobo if you are a roll-lover! They have many options that you can choose from, and their rolls are pretty appetizing. Hope you enjoyyyy~
(3)Nicole M.
Love their selection of vegetarian rolls. Love their salad dressing as well. My only real qualm is that I am a picky dinner when it comes to courses. I like my salad/soup then my appetizer then my sushi. If I get them all at the same time I feel I am rushing to eat them all so they stay hot or cold as they were served. This happens all the time here but the food is so great I will always go back =)
(4)Sarah Y.
My first thought when ordering from Mobo was that I could have sushi delivered to my house (via Doorbell Dining) when I didn't feel like going out to get it. In theory, awesome. In practice, eh... The tofu salad, which seems like it would be marvelous, is just chopped up tofu on a bed of lettuce with no seasoning. This was the most unimpressive part of my meal. I'm sorry, if I wanted to have plain, cold tofu for dinner, I could easily do that myself. The miso soup is very good. Aside from the flimsy container it came it, and quickly soaked through, I have no complaints about the miso. Then came the sushi rolls. They were very considerate about ensuring that no meat/fish products were included in my food, and they even added more veggies to compensate in the one roll that was supposed to have fish in it. However, the actual flavor of the rolls was off. There was some odd, almost grassy flavor in each roll that I could not identify. It was unpleasant and tainted the rolls potential for being flavorful and delicious. Overall, this experience, which seemed beyond awesome at face value, was disappointing. If you want good sushi in the Santa Cruz/Watsonville area, go to Sushi Garden. Mobo proves that other sushi joints are just a waste of time.
(2)Doug B.
This is THE place to go if you are looking for vegetarian or vegan sushi rolls, the variety is astounding. Been going here once in a blue moon for over a decade, haven't ever had any real complaints, except of course parking due to the location. This place is worth a try.
(4)Shawn G.
The hostess on the night of April 4th was hands down the rudest hostess I have ever encountered. She began by sitting me and my boyfriend at the absolute worst table in the nearly empty restaurant simply because it was the closest and then she ran off. I had to chase her down to get her to reseat us. She was horrible to us from then on out. The food was alright but overpriced. The service however was absolutely deplorable. I can promise we will not be returning and we will be encouraging our friends to do the same.
(1)E M.
I'm giving Mobo 5 stars because the food was so generous and fresh AND we had it delivered. Never been to the restaurant. We rolled into town after dark, on the way from San Francisco, decided to stay at a motel and found a food-taxi service. It was a real chance to take but I ordered away. The big pickle plate was fantastic- a real surprise. We also ordered yellowtail sashimi- big, juicy pieces, very fresh and generous portion as well. The scallop roll we got was also wonderful. Everything we ordered was delicious and high-quality. I was so happy because they didn't have to do that. We were not sitting in their restaurant. They didn't even do the delivering. But they sent us fantastic, A+ food. Next time I'm in Santa Cruz, will visit the restaurant!
(5)Ryan A.
We went into Mobo's on Saturday for an early dinner. We were sat right away and then our server came and got our drink order and also some apps. We then ordered the chef's choice sashimi, and a few other rolls. The fish was nice and fresh, and the service was good. We will come back here at some point when visiting my Mom in Santa Cruz.
(4)Dick S.
Yelp has "Wohoo! As good as it gets!" written next to five stars. While this is definitely not true in the great Bay Area, I do think it is true for Santa Cruz. I have eaten at I Love Sushi, Sushi Totoro, Miyako in Capitola, Akira, and one or two more a long long time ago. Out of these, Mobo is easily the best. One might ask themselves, "Why?" Very simple. It is FRESH. The Hamachi Nigiri was so fresh and tender, it blew my mind. The Salmon seemed like it was just out of the water. The Sake came out too hot to even drink at first. Everything just seemed fresh, and with Sushi, that is what counts. The environment was pleasant, it is fairly big, but is broken into smaller rooms so it doesn't seem crowded or noisy, the service was good, and the bill was not awful for 2 people. I recommend it.
(5)Mike J.
Stopped by here on a weeknight on during a business trip and ordered a couple rolls and an order of nigiri. im not a sushi snob but something tasted off about everything i had. the pieces are HUGE, it was almost a chore to eat them. the rice was overly salty and the fish just didnt taste right (i got one roll with salmon and another with tuna, pretty basic). i didnt care for the roll with macadamia nuts inside, but i suppose that was my fault for ordering it. and the salmon nigiri just didnt taste fresh. service was pleasant enough, and the restaurant itself is fine, but the food didnt do much for me.
(2)Shawn O.
So good, better prices than the rest of SC sushi establishments. I'm not vegetarian but I LOVE their vegetarian rolls (nearly all under $5 and full of interesting ingredients). Another bonus: they are very flexible on changing ingredients if you want. Service is prompt and being a Monday the largest dining room was about half full. Two hours of free parking in the large lot (lots of signs warning to not go over the limit as they don't control the lot).
(5)Tim K.
Mobo has fallen. Service and food continue to plummet. Went there for New Year's Eve with my family and it was empty. I guess I hadn't gotten the memo.
(2)Melissa C.
Was sooo excited to finally try this sushi spot out today after a couple of months of wanting to. The waitress we had was thankfully very patient since we took awhile to order. The decor was decent, I liked that the backroom had a fishtank and that they also had what seemed to be a full sized bar. Shortly after being seated, I was disappointed to find out that we would not be getting any soup, salad or green tea for free. Not a huge deal just no pluses for them. I did however, need to have a green tea so I paid the 1.50, it was decent but not the best quality. Was kind of bummed when I saw that it came in a regular glass cup instead of a more authentic one, none-the-less just a regular tea cup. However these were not big enough deals to lower my expectations of the rolls to come! So we ended up ordering the Pineapple Express (the main reason I wanted to dine here), the Crabby Tom and the Pink Caddy. The sushi was decent, the flavors were good however not strong enough. When I stuff a sushi roll in my mouth I expect an explosion of flavors and I found the the rolls here were lacking that by a pretty good margin. I would have rather paid a few extra dollars for a bigger/more filling roll. EXCLUDING the Pineapple Express. Not only was that the most presentable roll but it was also the most delicious out of the three. Both the pineapple and the macadamia nuts had the perfect texture, I was a little worried the macadamia nuts might be a bit too crunchy or a bit overpowering but it wasn't at all. It had a very subtle taste and suited the dish beautifully. With all praises aside my friend and I found a hair inside the sushi, which for me was a pretty big turn off. Overall the experience was just okay. I wouldn't drive all the way out to Santa Cruz again just to eat there, MAYBE if I was already in the downtown area and had a craving for some pineapple goodness. But I think I'd rather try something else out, sorry!
(2)Sierra G.
Mobo has a great selection of interesting rolls, including a whole page of options for vegetarians. I say A+ for innovation and executing on the tasty combinations. Start with a salad ...they have a miso dressing that is a tad sweet, but has a gingery twist. As far as dining downtown, this is a good option (not many options in my opinion)
(4)Joyce C.
So even though I gave it three stars, I'm sure i'll continue to come to this place no matter what. My boyfriend went to college at UC Santa Cruz and Mobo's has been his god send sushi place since day one. We come at least twice a year and every time has been a great experience. Except recently the food has been a bit disappointing. Our last time here, it seems as though they're packing in more rice on the rolls than the sushi that's supposed to be inside of it. The staff is very kind, I just thought it was time to comment on the rolls in hopes that management sees this. Please stop jipping me out of your delicious fillings! Too much rice makes for an underwhelming sushi experience.
(3)Bro H.
Mobo has been my long time favorite sushi place in Santa Cruz... However they have been slipping little by little....the food has been good and typically consistent quality but the service has started to become that of the "soup nazi" from senfield. There are several waiters that have been there for a long time and seems they have gotten too cozy with their routine that they have possibly forgotten the basics of what it takes to keep their customers satisfied. I don't know what it is but there's not much positive happy attitude seems to rub off from their service. The last time we went not long ago it was a DEAD night hardly anyone there and the waiter hardly checked up on us. What was she doing??? After waiting close to 15 minuets with all of our food being done I got fed up went to The front desk and told them I want to pay my bill. The lady at the desk said "who's your waiter?" I go "I don't know she didn't give me her name"... Then she just walks off and I'm like okay I'm about to just leave... Starting to get pissed! This is where simple communications come into play. How huge of a difference it makes with a simple "one moment, let me go get her for you" or "I'm sorry, let me find your bill" something that indicates that they are going to go and help me... rather than just walking off... Wtf is that??? And that's the classic example of the type of service the wait staff has with their attitude issues and dysfunctional communicating skills. Simple communications can make the world of difference in a restaurant to the customer. It's not rocket science. This sushi place is not cheap and for the amount of money I'm dropping on this meal I would expect simple positive customer service at the least. Second big problem I've had with this place: when you call in a take out order they automatically put their own tip on the total amount... Now after two years of going into this place and paying for my take out and tipping them on top of it and then finding out several years later that they were already charging me tips on my take out the whole time..... I was beyond pissed!!! Why did this go on for sooooo long? One reason is they mention it very nonchalantly on their menu... And two.... This is the absolute main reason, when you call in a take out order for this place they do not give you a itemized receipt showing what you paid for, and if you request one they give you this chicken scratch receipt all jumbled in a list that really typically makes no sense anyways. I'm not a business genius but I would assume the customer by law has the right to get their itemized receipt showing exactly what they're paying for, for every purchase from any business whether it's a restaurant, shoe store, or Starbucks coffee etc... it's just how business standards are.... What kind of crap is that not giving your customers detailed receipts for what they're paying for... I seriously think they're breaking some rules here by not giving their customers itemized receipts for their order, you should not have to ask for one. That can only tell me that they are lazy and deceiving. And if your business owner thinking that I'm wrong for wanting my receipt with out a special request, you're absolutely nuts.
(2)Meaghan C.
Delicious. Efficient. Fresh.
(5)MAC Dre m.
Service was less than I wanted to experience... The food wasn't anything special either but I did like their outside patio area, that part made it worth the cost I suppose. I think I rather go to Shogun and deal with Pacific Ave traffic, which was the deterrent this visit here but I'll prob just make the drive next time.
(2)Kristin S.
The highlight of coming here is the saturday night free Sake Bomb domino, which w was so unexpected. Walked in here with my friend on a sat night and we were surprised to see the entire bar lined up with beer glasses, totally thought there was some sort of drinking contest going on. soon we found out what the event was. after some fanfare of seeing the sake shots systematically fall into the beer, anyone over 21 can just go up with their ID and get a free sake bomb. Aside from the visual event, my review on the sushi is mixed. we got a couple of rolls, some good some just so so. I liked the calamari roll, the spicy scallop roll was way spicier than normal making it a little difficult to eat, the death star was an interesting combo of cream cheese and macadamia nuts, but the sunset maki was a disappointment on flavor. The waitress was really nice, she apologized, but It did take a long time to get our sushi. I'd put it down to it being pretty busy with all the people there for the free drinks.
(4)Anna D.
For starters the reason I'm giving 2 stars instead of 1 is because I've really liked Mobo in the past. Enough to plan my birthday dinner to be there last night. That was a horrible idea, we got the worst service I've ever had. ANYWHERE. Origionally we told the hostess we were a group of six. About 5 mintues later I told her the other two people weren't able to make it so it will just be the 4 of us. She replied with they are working on the table and walked away, never changed 6 to 4 on their wait list. We then proceeded to watch them sit two tables of four (all of which showed up AFTER us). My fiance again mentioned to all 3 hostesses that we are a table of 4 not six. A few minutes later (it's already been over 30 minutes) a hostess says teh table is almost ready. About 10 minutes later she realizes the table she just offered us was for 6 so we had to wait another 15-20 minutes to finally get seated (my stupid stubborness for needing Mobo for my birthday). We already knew what we wanted but the waitress didn't show up for 10 minutes to take our order. We then waited ANOTHER 30 minutes for our food. During that time I went and found the owner to complain, he apologized and said he would check on it. Eventually we got our food (minus our fiancee's). His food didn't show up until everyone else was done eating. I told this again to the owner and how I normally really like the place. We finish eating and ask for the check. He never offered to comp anything or do anything to make it up to us. Needless to say, we left no tip at all and will never be back. Well maybe I'll try to slip in for a free sake bomb one friday or saturday night but they will never get a penny from me. *jk*
(2)Britney L.
Meh, not a huge fan. I suggest getting the Nor Cal and Pink Caddy. They were decent but the best of the four that we ordered. The Nor Cal roll is piled with fried shrimp which makes the roll more unique. I liked the idea, but it could have been better. I liked the flavor of the Pink Caddy the most. I think I ate the most of this roll. It had unagi with a mix of different sashimi. Yums! I really really don't suggest getting the Salmon Baker. I thought it was like a Lion King roll but I was wrong. There is tons of cream cheese in the roll and it was too overpowering! It was basically the only thing I could taste. It made the roll too creamy. I was definitely skeptical about this place when I saw the lack of Japanese sushi chefs. Usually this means more Americanized sushi and not as tasty. Sure enough, the sushi here is just okay. Their specialty rolls aren't the best and more simple than I hoped for. I didn't have a favorite since they are all just alright. The only good thing about Mobo is that it has cheaper rolls than most Japanese restaurants in Santa Cruz.
(2)Cindy M.
Ok, before you read my review I just want to say that this is written BEFORE I actually eat the food--really weird...I know--but I wanted to warn college students/people with no car/people who wants delivery before they attempt to order food from here. So Mobo Sushi doesn't actually deliver, they go through a delivery company called "Doorbelldining" (Here's their website: doorbelldining.com ). So you would order your food through Doorbelldining (831-373-3333 is their phone number) and then the process begins where they place the order with the restaurant--in this case, Mobo--then they would drive to there to pick up the food, and then drive the food to where you live. Living on campus I would end up paying 7.99 for delivery fees, plus the overall sales tax, and the food I ordered. Doorbelldining also has a rule where if your order is over 50 dollars you have to tip a minimum of 15%, and if the total is under you have to tip a minimum of $5...so if you're a broke person, just the delivery alone is roughly ~$5-14, depending on your actual order of course (but let's face it...sushi isn't cheap, especially if you buy two rolls each...~ah ha). So once the sushi actually gets here, I will review the food...but for now this was a caution review about the delivery process you have to go through.
(3)Wayne K.
Overrated. I want to say better things but the owner didn't care to listen to my fellow Asian "Big City" suggestions. Service and staff are Awesome, Food (unless you're vegetarian/vegan) is a solid 3 out of a 10. Parking in that lot is lethal, SO do not even think of leaving your car there for over 2-3 hours unless your idea of a "great evening" involves a $400 tow charge like I experienced.
(2)Maggie B.
The sushi was average. But the service was slow. And the waitress wasn't polite. It was impossible to get her attention. And the menu didn't have the words salmon, tuna, or eel on it anywhere. Just the Japanese names. Kind of annoying. No pictures of the items either. And the waitress got offended when I asked which roles had salmon, tuna or eel in them. It's not my fault the menu was in Japanese and I'm an American. So memorize your Japanese before you go. And don't be in a hurry.
(2)Michael C.
My fav sushi joint in SC. Never a wait, fast service, full bar and great creative rolls. Close to downtown, it's great for a pop in when your running errands or shopping.
(5)Joshua F.
Shocked at the decline. I've gone to Mobo dozens of times over last decade, but tonight was the last. 2nd to worst part: Was served barely edible, anemic, dried out "fresh" salmon. On arrival, told the waitress the salmon looked kind of odd -- she said, "oh, that's what we got from our supplier, but we're going to change." Ate a piece, got someone else @ my table to try one - both agreed it was bad. Complained. Worst part: Waitress brought over manager, said name is "Jun" -- started off confrontational -- like we'd done something wrong... "Well, if you hadn't eaten half of it, maybe I could do something..." Customer is always right????? Not here... Please don't go here. There are tons of great restaurants in the area that actually want your business, including several just around the corner or down the street.
(1)Christine-Sara B.
Wow, just wow!! I will never eat here again! The owner admitted to freezing their sushi for three days before serving, who does this? When complained about the fact that the fish didn't taste right they just got defensive and yelled and screamed. There are WAY better sushi restaurants to eat at go there, heck cross the parking lot and go to Trader Joes and grab one of their pre-made sushi trays in the refrigerator department, it will be fresher, better quality and at least edible!
(1)Cindy H.
Went today, got horrible service from an unfriendly waitress. She took a very long time to get our order and even longer to bring our food. the restaurant was NOT crowded, so no good reason for the bad service. Then she had the nerve to add on an 18% gratuity for a party of 5!!! Unbelievable. I was there with a friend and our teenage (well behaved) kids. She will most likely not return. It was her first visit. When I spoke to the manager, he was equally rude and uncaring.
(1)Mo E.
See my comment under "tips"...it includes customer service, enough staff and a more mindful owner...
(1)Juno C.
i always come for lunch and it never disappoints, everything is really fresh! they also have great specials for lunch!
(4)Andrew L.
The sushis alright slightly overpriced but really the service sucks. It took at least a good 45 mins to bring out two rolls. That's kind of ridiculous
(1)Christine T.
Large noisy space, with large center sushi bar. The service here is so awful that unless I can sit at the bar I don't spend my money here. A few nice entrees- and large crowd of mostly college aged drinking subpar box sake. Nice if you seek out that vibe.
(2)Corina S.
If you are vegetarian or vegan this is definitely the sushi place to go to! The veggie rolls are crazy delicious and unique. Also, they average at about $6 a roll!!
(5)Nea B.
Love the outdoor seating, especially in the summer when the Wisteria is blooming. Great outside atmosphere; inside's too crowded unless you can snag booth, or a spot around the side next to the giant tank. Which, is weird if you think about dinner while you're staring at the fish tank...unless that's you're thing. Some of the rolls are fantastic - The Beamer, Emerald City, Crop Burning (?) all wonderfully paired with unique additives. Many have flavors that just don't 'jive' with me, and leave me wanting...well, something tossed into the mix. Still, the food always tastes fresh and I've never had a "bad" roll. They're also really accommodating for requests (I wanted a chunk of lemon to mix into my wasabi, not lemon slices like they have in water. I guess I wasn't clear when I ordered, and had to ask for a wedge after the server brought the thin deals. She was super nice though, and we got it straighted out with plenty of lemon to go around). The biggest plus for me is the service - prompt, efficient, and they're unobtrusive! Too many places pester you, or leave you waiting. Like magic, the servers come over at just the right times and never take too long with food/checking in/bill etc. Nice local sushi place, perfect for relaxed dinners & more romantic occasions.
(4)Lauren S.
Really overrated place. It feels like fast food sushi. I don't know how to explain it. I've been here over 40 times in the past few years, and I really can never say I've enjoyed myself. Still, people insist on having thier birthday parties here. Maybe its cause they're super lax on ID's. (wink wink) The service is aloof, and ALWAYS seems eager to get off work. Impossible to find parking, and usually packed full of drunk underage partiers who stiff their waiters and end up causing a chain reaction of negativity all around. Also, there's something about the huge fish tanks lining the wall thats really a turn off when you're eating raw fish. It'd be like sitting in a booth next to a stable full of cows at Cattleman's restaurant. Just not appetizing. The best sushi in town is Shogun (downtown) or Totoro on the Westside.
(3)Jane N.
A bunch of us met up with some local friends to have sushi after an afternono of surfing. Originally we were going to another place that was supposedly the best sushi around (forgot the name sorry!!) but it was closed on Sundays. Having the slight panic of "oh no now what" in our mind, we decided to come to this place, and I was happily surprised. This is definitely not authentic Japanese food, but I think that's besides the point. I think if you want that you pretty much have to go to tiny places with chefs that speak mostly Japanese to regulars (see my Lakuni review!) If you're going to run a big Japanese sushi place, might as well have some variety then! The menu was very creatively impressive, and I like that. I actually tried pretty new rolls with ingredients I have never even heard of, like Shizo leaf. They handily provide a glossary in the back, and I thought I know my Japanese food terms. I like the funny names too, Shizo Fine. heh heh. Great creative sushi for the unique variety. Almost one full page of vegetarian sushi, which is impressive (though I always wonder why bother in the first place).
(4)Adam B.
This is the best. Not to mention the best lunch special in Santa Cruz. You get this huge box of food (salad, rice, chicken, rolls, soup, etc..) for under 9 bux. The service has always been fast. The waitress always seems to have a smile. The Guido (spelling...?) roll is a vegetarian roll with garlic and has to be the best. The homemade miso dressing is one of the main reasons i come here. They have a nice outdoor patio which is private. I am a local for 30 years and make it a point to come at least 2-3 times a month.
(5)Rita M.
This is my absolute favorite "I feel like splurging" sushi place. My boyfriend and I will split a banana slug (their artistic dragon-like $35 double rainbow roll) and a pink caddy roll and spend a full $50 on the meal, but it's sooo amazingly awesome. You don't have to spend that much; others who sit with us frequently get away with a meal for less than $15, including tax and tip - and I have too, when I go in for a meal without my boyfriend - but the banana slug is my favorite thing to do. I've heard someone mention they found the sushi rice dry if you show up in the first hour after they open for dinner; they apparently pre-make it during the after-lunch closure... but given that I eat a bit later, it's not something that I've ever noticed. Also... their tempura? Very generously proportioned. No 3 pieces "that's my tempura order?" here. It's an appetizer for 5 people.
(5)Laura R.
I have to admit that I'm of mixed feelings about Mobo. My inaugural sushi experience was had there, and it was pretty bad. (Tiny bones in the unagi that I let my then-boyfriend order for me. Urgh.) But the other day I went back to visit, and decided that I should try them again now that I know for certain that I really, really need to stick to vegetarian rolls. (I'm not, for the record, vegetarian at all. I just don't much care for seafood.) Lunchtime at Mobo is great. Their daily lunch special is a huge bento for about $9 - miso soup, cucumber pickle salad, green salad, steamed veggies with dressing, plus your choice of teriyaki and either a California roll or their really yummy Arbor roll. It's a LOT of food! We got a veggie tempura appetizer on top of that, and we both had to get take home boxes. Overall, the food was actually really good, and I'd forgotten how much I like the arbor rolls. Yummy teriyaki beef, and the tempura was really good too. So my assessment is that I really can't give one in terms of fish, but everything *else* in the lunch bento is awesome.
(4)Stephanie M.
My favorite sushi restaurant ever! It was actually the first sushi restaurant I had ever been to. It's a good place for first timers because of its diverse selection of rolls. You will find every thing from the traditional to super funky rolls with cooked fish and veggies. My favorites are the Corruptor and Shizo Fine. Yum! As good as the sushi is, remember to leave room for desert. They serve fried bananas with green tea and mango ice cream that are awesome. Fried bananas just aren't as good at other sushi restaurants. Don't be scared off by the menu prices. If you split some rolls with a friend or two, it's not that expensive and you still walk out super full. I used to do it at least once a month on a college student's budget. Definitely worth a try.
(5)Heather D.
**2.5** Mobo is a Santa Cruz classic. Unfortunately they had their day - like 10 years ago. They still do a decent presentation and have an eclectic vegetarian menu, but they've disappointed me several times recently. The chef's choice option was $25 and looked pretty, but the fish gave off a not-so-fresh feeling - yikes. The udon with chicken was all right but they use thigh meat which I don't like. The service has room for improvement as well. It saddens me to only give them 2 stars, but a yelper has to call it like they see it. I recommend Mobo for vegetarians, not fishitarians.
(2)Rala S.
I'm not a big sushi person. In fact, I don't usually want to go to sushi at all. But I'll eat veggie sushi - and this is the place for creative veggie rolls! I'm never let down, and am always completely satisfied. I especially like the guido roll and their side salad comes with the most amazing miso dressing I've ever had. Not to be missed! Also good to know: my fish-loving friends like it too! Try the corrupter but be ready for innovative sushi. The currupter is no california roll.
(4)C C.
Not the cheapest sushi in town, but the best rolls hands down. Really fresh fish and generous rolls. Yummy miso dressing for the salad too. Fave rolls: Miami (fried yam), scooter, beamer, crop burning, and snow crab maki. The bento boxes are good but pricey. And they carry Marianne's ice cream (green tea and mango).
(4)Jim R.
I have been coming here for 5 years, they got me into sushi. However with service this bad it doesn't matter how the food tastes. We came in and sat there for about 15 minutes before any attention was paid. We finally got to order and then sat through an attention free 20 minutes with not even a drink showing up. Eventually we got drinks and so on. You get the picture, it continued the whole meal. We got our food l, most of it. I dont think we will be coming back.
(1)Susan B.
The food was average. The service was very slow. The wait staff were rude. I would not return there.
(1)D Y.
the rolls were ok. we tried the death star too, but it wasn't for me. the service is below par. they only came around to refill drinks only when we asked. other times various servers would walk around looking at the glasses, but chose to do nothing about our glasses even though most of our glasses were less than 1/2 full.
(3)liz c.
This would be the best place to come to if you think you know everything about sushi because I'm pretty sure this place will prove you wrong. I wouldn't get fancy and experiment, just stick to what you know if you want to be happy. Otherwise, you will definitely be like me, looking longingly at everyone else's food as you poke at your rice speckled with unidentifiable spices. Their rolls and combinations are WEIRD. I had some spices I have never had in sushi...and that was because I tried to be ambitious with the experimentation. I'm telling you, don't do it. Service is alright, fish is good and at least tastes fresh (it's right next to the ocean so I don't know how they can go wrong...). Really, don't try the weird rolls like the Guido roll. Eat what you know! :)
(3)Sharon G.
I'm giving Mobo 5 stars because it's the largest selection of vegetarian sushi I've ever experienced. The best is the Guido Roll (basil, cream cheese, macadamia nuts, garlic, and maybe something else I can't remember). Really good inari and they have veggie miso soup if you ask for it. One thing-- once, the macadamia nuts seriously were the texture of rocks-- hurting my teeth and shit. When we told the owner, she was like, oh, we special order our macadamia nuts every week and they're so fresh and I'm sure that didn't really happen......... So that was bullshit, but it certainly doesn't stop me from going there. I haven't found anywhere with as extensive a selection of veggie sushi and a "make your own" that's great, too.
(5)Patrick C.
Skillful chefs! We always order this Sashimi plate that feeds 2 people. It has a great collection of sashimi, and some sushi and rolls too. went there a few times for birthdays. with some hot sake and miso, i love it.
(4)Emily L.
My husband and I have been dining at Mobo's for many years, and have a hard time finding better sushi (without paying exorbitant prices). We love the variety of rolls and find their fish to be some of the tastiest. Our favorites are the Special K and Tsunami nigiri. They have a great staff, and service is always quick. The only reason I don't give them 5 stars is because they often leave their doors open and they don't care that patrons stand right outside a smoke. Nothing is more disgusting than great food with the flavor of nasty cigarette smoke! (9/11/2012) Changing my review from 4 stars to 2 stars. The food is still excellent, but the environment and service has changed. Despite complaints, they continue to leave doors open and do not handle patrons who stand outside and smoke 2-3 feet from your table next to said doors. In addition, the last 4 out of 5 visits the wait staff has been unable to get our order correct. Not to sound racist or rude, but the problem seems to be not understanding English well. Most of the staff is willing to fix the problem, but with long delays in food service. Lastly, something about the layout makes the place extremely loud even when only 1/3-1/2 of the tables are full. And they cater to a lot of big parties and crowds, which is just another notch on the noise level. Not something they can help, the place is popular with great food. But perhaps it's time they consider a separate room for large parties like that? We still go -- for the FOOD -- but now we are much pickier about nights we go (slower/quieter) and ask to be seated as far as possible from doors, which doesn't always mean not smelling smoke throughout our delicious meal.
(2)Sam R.
Great fresh sushi. Local hangout. Sushi chiefs know what they are doing. Best to sit at the sushi bar and get to know the chiefs. If not at the sushi bar then outside or near the fish tank. Seaweed salad and miso soup is good. It does get a bit crowded and busy, but what would one expect from a good sushi place.
(5)David R.
Hands down best sushi in santa cruz! Everything is amazing!!
(5)Joe H.
Worst service ever. It took 15 minutes for the staff to even acknowledge us and bring water, then 35 minutes to get some of our sushi. Three of the servers were sitting around doing nothing and could have helped us. In addition, one of the sushi chefs was eating with his hands in the food prep area.
(1)Jonas D.
It's just not that good. They have more variety than Shogun, and the Tuna collar rice bowl is decent, as is the udon (not that great- but better than shogun's watery version). 2 and a half stars really, but some of there stuff is just bleh.
(2)Linda C.
I heart Mobo sushi. I adore their hamachi kama, Ice Nine sushi, their lunch specials, lomi lomi salmon....gosh everything I've had here has been fabulous. I always get a cup of hot ginger tea, too, when I'm here. My favorite seats are the booths next to the sushi bar...the light is a bit bright above them, it can be a bit harsh, but it's fun to sit there and watch the sushi action happening.
(4)Sabrina B.
Yummy Yummy. Great selection of rolls. If you're into crazy, saucy, crunchy, baked rolls this is the place. Fresh. And our server was lovely. A lot of rice of the rolls is my one complaint, but there is little to no vinegar in it which I like. I will return.
(5)Glenn R.
Consistently the best sushi I have in the bay area. I've tried most of the sushi restaurant's in Santa Cruz and this one is the top. I love getting the banana slug or the tazuna. Yum!
(4)Brian H.
Used to be my top choice for sushi in Santa Cruz, but has been edged out by Shogun. Still a great place though, with a very wide assortment of creative maki and fine quality nigiri. A little on the pricey side but not ridiculous. Very nice atmosphere. Shogun gets the nod because of the overall quality of the fish, presentation, and larger portions, but Mobo is still a solid choice for sushi in Santa Cruz. The udon and tempura are good too. Can't really recommend the teriyaki and other non-sushi menu items.
(4)Ziru C.
I've come here twice and would again as the price is decent and the food good. The atmosphere is nice. I like the setting and decor. However, the place can get a bit cramped because of the way the tables are set up. The sushi menu is extensive and creative. Some of the rolls I like are: - Beamer - Holy Moly Maki - Mercedes Benz - Moon Cruzer - Pink Caddy An interesting roll was the Mad Dog roll. It was good. Just interesting. However, my friends and I agreed, both times I went there, that some of their sushi tastes like bacon. Updated 02/12/07: I just went here for my friend's 21st birthday. I got to try the Shoga My Heart and the Nabeyaki Udon. The Shoga My Heart was okay. The tuna looked like chicken and kind of tasted like fishy barbecued chicken. Not too bad, but nothing great/amazing. The Nabeyaki Udon wasn't really my taste. The soup was on the sweet side and the udon was rather soggy. I ordered a miso soup because I love the stuff. Here, it was not so good. The tofu was really plain. Usually the tofu I have in miso soup have a little of their natural sweetness to them which is a nice contrast to the savoriness of the soup. The soup itself was slightly sour. The tempura was really good. The ebi tempura is best when you first get it, piping hot. If you wait a little bit, it's not as great. There were a wide variety of vegetables (the onion rings were the best, then the zucchini, broccoli, respectively) and a lot of it. For $6.75, it'd better be.
(2)Misha N.
This is one of my favorite sushi places in Santa Cruz and I eat here somewhat frequently. They have a lot of very non-conventional fusion-style rolls that are very good and they also have the more traditional selection as well. I find the service here quite excellent as well.
(5)Alison W.
In 1994 friends took me to sushi for the first time. I actually liked it. For over 15 years Mobo has been my favorite place. I love the variety and the freshness. Nothing is better than the Special K (except I add shitake mushrooms instead of cashews occasionally). The Tsunami with Maguro instead of Salmon is out of this world. Kevin and Ricky (Sushi Chef's) are amazing and always recognize us!
(5)Kelly F.
Rude and I left hungry. What is up with the plastic tables?
(1)Michael M.
This is one of the best sushi places I have found on the west coast. Maybe I was lucky enough to get there on a Monday when the sushi was as fresh as it can be, but when I went back on Wednesday it was even better. If you are around the area you must try this place.
(4)Gregory R.
This is one of my favorite sushi places. We drive here from San Jose just to eat at Mobo. I'm a big fan of these (usually Korean run) sushi places that offer unique rolls. The people are friendly and chefs make some nice rolls. You get a decent size serving for the price, unlike some of the more hipster-ish sushi places in the bay area. My favorites are the Tsunami (with maguro instead of salmon), Landshark, and Scooter Roll. A Miami Roll (without the mayo) makes for a nice, sweet finish.
(5)shannon m.
Excellent rolls and food presentation, service, and decor! It's the sushi restaurant I go to when I have a little extra money in my pocket.
(5)John M.
Great Except for the Gasoline Smell, No Wait that was me. The food was awesome! The Cat Rolls Rule. (please note that I am talking about rolls with Cat in the name, as opposed to rolls with cat meat in them, yuck). Enough about them, lets talk about me. I want to appologize to anyone who was there on Sunday night who might have had their meal impacted by someone smelling like jonny the human torch. Here's how it happend. I ran out of gas about a mile outside of Santa Cruz. Luckily a friend we were eating with came and picked us up to take us to the gas station. I have a huge cast on my hand so while pouring the gas in the tank I got it all overmyself.
(4)