Amami Sushi

5 stars of the food. Of course this is what you come here for. They are extremely busy and always packed so the service you get might not be the best. It’s a small spot that have a loyal customer base. I think most people that rate this place with low stars are upset about the wait and the service. This place does get very business. But once you eat their Omakase or the Santa Barbara Uni– there is no turning back and you probably won’t want to eat sushi anywhere else. That’s just the way it is when you eat at this place. When I bring my friends here, they get upset at me, because they don’t want to eat at other places anymore afterwards. lol.
TIP: Always make a reservation, even with a reservation there might still be a 30 mins wait, deal with it if you want good sushi and stop whining…
If you don’t have a reservation, good luck, you may wait a while. That’s just the way it is, they have a loyal customer base and their sushi is better than most other places around here. For the money, you get great fresh cuts, not like the other spots that give you some dinky stuff.
All the other folks that give this place low ratings, like I said are probably pissed off about the wait, and perhaps the service (it’s a small place and it’s busy as hell), but if you can look beyond that and rate this place for the food, I bet you would give it 5 stars too.

Went here on my birthday with a party of 5 had reservations and did have to wait at all. Lets just say we orders way too much for 5 people but you can never beat the Omkase! The sushi is good quality and served with real wasabi. I would definitely come back again when I am having a sushi craving!

this place is horrible.
they got too many reservations at the same time, even they have not enough tables to handle all the customers. That’s why they were super busy and they did not care any other walk in customers.

The moment i walk in… I see numerous names on the reservation list… It looked like there were more reservations on the list then they can handle… Absolutely terrible way to do business…
Make sure you make a reservation even then you might have to wait…

Oh hell yeah! $ 30 for 10 piece omakase?! The cuts of fish are pretty fat so you’re definitely getting a deal here. The place was packed when we came on a Wednesday. We made reservations so the wait was only 15 minutes. I would advise that you call ahead no matter what day you decide to come. We sat at the sushi bar and there seemed to be a lot of regulars. Fantastic! I love seeing that because I assume it means that this place is pretty consistent in food and service. with the place being this poppin I think it’s safe to say that the fish is pretty fresh. If you usually go to Sam’s for sushi then this place is a must try!

I seriously haven’t written a review of this place yet?
We have been coming here for a few years and we LOVE it!
Our meal usually consists of the omakase (how can you beat a quality 10 piece omakase for ~$ 30?), but we also like the Hamachi Jalapeño, the Tai Carpaccio, Hamachi Kama, the snow white roll, and many if the special fish selections they have every day.
Fish is always fresh, portions are generous, and I don’t think we have ever had anything we haven’t really liked.
The line can get long, so come hungry, but come patient as well :-)
Happy Eating!

O. M. FREAKING G.
Every bite literally melted in my mouth. The conversations during this meal failed at every attempt because these delicacies left us entirely speechless and in heaven.
I didn’t even need to read a quarter of the Unilocal reviews to know exactly what to order. Thank you, Unilocal fam for steering us in the right direction! To keep it short: order the omakase, oyster special, seared toro with uni, and agedashi tofu. Because we did. And it was out of this world.
To confirm one thing first: the wait is real. We were lucky to get a reservation for the same day right when they opened at 5. My friend was running a bit late and the wouldn’t seat me until we were both there, but it wasn’t a problem since there surprisingly wasn’t a line when I got there. Mind you, the sky was crying torrential downpours of rain, so… understandable. By the time we finished, though, the restaurant was packed and there was a crowd waiting at the door.
Ok, now the important part: THE FOOD. We ordered all of the above-​listed foods + the melt in your mouth roll. I don’t need to go into detail to repeat what everyone else has basically already said — it’s the best damn fish I’ve ever had. I don’t even know what more than half of the fish on the omakase plate were, but each one was even more delicious than the last. Definitely get the omakase — $ 33 for 10 pieces of the best fish you’ve ever had? Just do it. Trust me.
Of everything we ordered, I could do without the roll next time because the fish is so good, it feels so unnecessary and irrelevant to roll it up with so much other stuff (even though it was still super yummy). That toro… oh man… this review is barely comprehensible because I’m drooling over thinking about this even though I just finished eating an hour ago…
Let me say one thing, though — we ended up ordering the agedashi at the end of the meal… sorta happened on accident because we wanted just one more thing and I remembered reading that this was good. It wasn’t good. It was FREAKING AMAZING!!! I have never had agedashi tofu THIS DELICIOUS. Perfectly fried, crispy exterior with a melting, silky smooth interior; coated with this amazing sweet sauce and topped with savory Benito flakes. Oh my. Oh my oh my oh my. I’m so glad we ended the meal with this
Ok. Enough. Go. Go there now. And go there tomorrow. And the day after that. And the day after that. And the day after that. In fact, Amami, will you be my best friend? You are incredible and I want to eat with you every day.

Made a reservation for 3 people at 6:30. Still had to wait for another 45 minutes before seated. Place is so crowded.
The sushi are amazing; fish r fresh. Price are above average, but it’s worth it in my opinion.
PS: do not come here if you do not want to wait because there will almost always have a wait time even if you have reservation.

Made a reservation at 7pm on a Wednesday night, and was seated after a 15 minute wait.
We decided to sit by the bar near the kitchen.
Service: Good. Our waitress was polite.
Food: Decent, but nothing spectacular. The nori they used to make our sushi was kind of stale. The squid dish (can’t remember the name) we ordered was pretty burnt. not sure if that’s how it’s supposed to turn out, but I don’t make it a habit to eat burned food.
Price: Standard for sushi.
Overall: It was an okay experience, but I’ve had better.

Made a reservation for two for 7PM, got there at 6:30PM and we were seated immediately at the bar in front of the sushi makers/​kitchen. Complimentary green tea, and I liked the way the teapot and cups looked. My friend and I ordered the chicken karaage for appetizer and omakase ($ 33).
My friend accidentally said 2 orders of omakase and one minute after we ordered we asked the waitress to cancel one. I heard the waitress ask the sushi maker in cantonese: «…wants to cancel one order of the omakase». The guy said: «we already made it». ARE YOU KIDDING ME. My friend and I was literally sitting in front of him and the other sushi maker at the bar and clearly I understood cantonese. THEY WERE NEVER EVEN MAKING IT!!! Wow I was heated. He lied right then and there. Even if he can cancel it, he can always make the other order for another table cause everyone was basically ordering the omakase. I asked the waitress again about it and she basically told me: «oh they already cut the pieces». IT’S COMMON SENSE, they can give the order to another table! The guy who lied looked at me and asked me in cantonese: «did you just want one?» I replied with yes and then asked him cause you didn’t make it yet right? He ignored me and the other sushi maker gave me a face. RUDE!!! SERVICE HERE SUCKS. Are they just dumb or are they dumb…
Food:
— chicken karaage: it’s cold when it got to the table. Tasted old
— omakase: everything kinda tasted the same. Some fish slices are big, but there’s nothing really good about it. I just think it’s expensive cause how they showcase 10 separate pieces on the marble plate.
My review is more like 1.5 stars!

DELICIOUS! Chef Alan’s omakase is probably one of the best sushi I’ve had thus far in the bay. And for only $ 33 for 10 piece nigiri and a soup, it’s an absolute deal! And if there’s one thing I want to rave about, it’s their wasabi. It is absolutely the best! at first I thought it was avocado because it was chunky and looked so fresh. It tastes 100x better than any wasabi I’ve ever had.
We also got the oyster special, agedashi tofu, melt in your mouth roll, and unagi ramen. Ok before you think to yourself «wow that’s a lot of food» just know that I was REALLY hungry okay?
The oyster special was interesting. It was good but in a unique way that I’ve never had before. The agedashi tofu was so good! It’s probably the best I’ve ever tried in my life because it was perfectly crunchy, silky, and flavorful.
The melt in your mouth roll really lived up to its name. The unagi and the avocado literally melts in your mouth. Finally, the ramen was interesting. I thought it was weird that the protein was unagi but it was so good. The broth was perfect because it wasn’t fatty at all. It wasn’t greasy or oily and I had such a blast drinking the soup.
Lastly, the wait was alright. We got there right as they opened at 5 and were seated in about 10 – 15 mins by the bar. Spacing is a bit tight but that just goes to show how desirable Amami’s sushi really is!
I can’t wait to return!

Oohh. So good. My boyfriend took me here for an early valentines day dinner. The fish is so fresh and it is very tasty. The omakase plate is decently priced ($ 33) and was very fun to watch them being made. It was almost as if it were an assembly line. I also ordered the chirashi, which is sashimi over rice. Once again, very good and super fresh. The only thing is that there was way too much rice, and I realized that I ordered too much raw fish. This led me to order the Melted in the Mouth roll, which did in fact melt in my mouth. So mouth watering! I will definitely be coming back here for the Toro Tartar and the seared toro, which were my favorites of the omakase plate.
TIP: Make reservations because you still have to wait 30ish minutes (There’s even a sign on the wall). While I was waiting, I saw some people (who didn’t have reservations) go up to the hostess, and got some slightly rude responses which almost turned some people away. It doesn’t seem like they like walk-​ins too much.

My boyfriend took me here for our super late Valentine’s Day dinner. Thank god he made a reservation for 7:30 on a Saturday night. There was a group of people waiting while we got seated right away once we mentioned our reservation. The place is super small. We got seated at the bar.
Of course we ordered two of the omakase. Then we ordered a miso soup and mixed tempura. The server failed to mention that the omakase comes with miso soup already! –_​– So we had an extra bowl of miso soup. My mouth was watering while I was watching chef Alan make the omakase for the other customers, good thing we had the tempura to munch on!
It wasn’t too long till ours came. The omakase came with 10 assorted nigiri and fresh wasabi for $ 33 a plate. I wish they explained to me which each fish was. My bf and I were playing the guessing game. Even though I didn’t know which specific fishes I ate at the time (besides salmon) I can say everything was really fresh and the flavors really went well together. Love the fresh wasabi! My bf said this is the best sushi he’s ever had but I think that’s cause he hasn’t ordered omakase at other sushi restaurants. I think it’s REALLY good here but not the best. But maybe one of the best in the Bay Area, we definitely want to come back and try everything else.
Make sure to make a reservation!
There’s a TV at the bar this could be a pro or a con depending on if you want a quite intimate date or not. If you want a romantic date don’t come here. Bf was excited the Warriors were on though.

I’ve always heard good things about this place and decided to come here for a special occasion. The boyfriend and I came here for Valentine’s Day! Hearing that it was a must to make a reservation, we can a reservation almost a week in advance.
Showed up at the place an hour early; reservation was for 6:30pm. Parking lot was incredibly tiny but a couple stores down, there is a public parking lot. Although we were an hour early, we decided to wait in the car and went in 30 minutes before our reservation. That was a good choice because we got our seats at 6:15pm.
We ordered the very famous Omakase, oyster specials and a roll (forgot the name of the roll).
Since we were seated at the bar, our food was simply handed to us pretty quickly.
The oyster specials were amazing! That was our first time trying anything like that. It was so good that we had to get seconds. We wanted more but we were getting full (from lunch earlier).
The Omakase lived up to the expectations! I wish we ordered 2 because it was great!
The roll was adorable because the chefs made them shaped as hearts!
This place is pretty small but it was extremely packed will a board showing all the reservations. Walk-​ins don’t seem like it’ll be a great idea.
The staff was really nice and came to our attention really quickly whenever we needed them.
I would definitely come back every once in a while. It’s a bit of a distance for us but it was worth every bite!

We called to make a reservation at 7; ended getting there a bit late but still ended up having to wait anyways. Not sure really how their reservation system works, I think it’s just more that you can call ahead to put your name down on the waiting list. The space is small with maybe a dozen tables at most and a large bar.
Got the oyster shooters to start ($ 8), 2 spoons each holding an amazing bite consisting of oyster, uni, roe, and quail egg. We both ordered the $ 33 omakase which comes with 10 pieces of generously sized nigiri. Everything is incredibly well-​prepared and very fresh with a wide variety of typical omakase fish. We were both still a little hungry after finishing the omakase so we got a melt in your mouth roll which wasn’t bad but definitely not on the level of the omakase. I think it’s the best omakase I’ve had for its value, can’t wait to come back!

The sashimi was amazing here — 4.5 stars for that ! Big melt in your mouth slices. Speaking of melt in your mouth… got that specialty roll and it was just ok.
The thing that SUCKED was how small the place is and how long we had to wait. I guess it used to be a drive thru spot. And it does say something about a place if they’re hella busy. Just sucks how and how few their seating arrangement is. Next time I’ll call for a reservation so that we only have to wait for 30 mins as apposed to 90. And I’d have to agree with their service being on the poor side. Minus 2.5 for that.

If you love raw fish, you’ll like this place. They slice their sashimi real thick! We didn’t get to have the omakase because we got there too late but the chef says they usually run out after 8pm. If that’s what you want, go early! It’s about $ 30 for 10 pieces.
Instead, we tried something from the specials menu. We had seared toro with uni, which was $ 13 for 2 pieces but it was so good. The fish is really fresh. We also got two rolls: the LA roll and the Sun Rising. The LA roll was okay. It had shrimp tempura on the inside and raw fish on the outside. I like the Sun Rising though because it has spicy toro and raw salmon.
The wait is quite long so be prepared to wait. We called for a same day reservation and the hostess said we could have a 7:30pm slot. However, we arrived at 7:15pm and waited until nearly 8:30pm. The reason why is because they will take your name down and put you on the wait list for 7:30 when you «make a reservation.» But that just means you end up being seated before the people who are «8:00» on the waiting list. It’s not truly a reservation and you won’t be seated at 7:30. In addition, we were done with our sushi pretty quickly, probably within 40 minutes. You get your food quickly indeed. But the servers didn’t realize we were done and didn’t offer to clear our table or bring the check. When we asked for the check, they forgot about it for about 10 minutes and didn’t know where it was when we asked for it back. I mean, I just felt bad for all the people waiting who could have had our two seats at the bar 15 minutes earlier. Basically, there’s a lot of flaws with workflow that slows down service but I hope they can work it out because I do like their food. But at least the food comes out quickly!

I really want to say that I loved this place because their Omakase is a steal, but their extremelyyy poor service made it such a disappointing experience.
Came here on a weekday around 12:30PM with my cousin and our moms. Given that it was a weekday lunch hour near a ton of SSF businesses, I knew that there’d be a bit of a wait. I was def prepared for that.
What I wasn’t prepared for was how rude the wait staff was to my family. I’m a pretty understanding person, and I’m never rude to wait staff because I know it can be difficult dealing with all kinds of crazies all day long — but the service here was just plain bad.
After we were seated for about 5+mins, no one gave us any menus. Then, after our dishes arrived, we couldn’t even eat because there were no utensils to use. Finally, after asking THREE separate waitresses for utensils (and were ignored by all), we were just about ready to walk out. The entire wait staff later said they were busy clearing tables… no apologies.
If the lunch hour goal is to get as many people in and out as possible, wouldn’t it make sense to give the people (who are already seated) utensils to eat? Makes too much sense, I suppose…
I will say their Omakase is great in terms of the quantity and quality of fish. Recommended are the uni, toro and amaebi (my personal triple threat of yumminess).
Service: 1
Food: 4
Ambiance: 3
Average: 3 stars — and that’s being generous

They don’t deserve high rating anymore. Horrible service. One waitress was particularly unfriendly. I used to love this place and think they provide great sushi with value, but I am very turned off by how they are so full of themselves now. Sushi quality also seemed to have gone down. Some nigiri were chewy. I liked the omakase price but will stop recommending people to Amami. Not worth the hype anymore.

So two days after skipping out on my birthday, this one boy decides to make it up to me by taking me to Amami. I’ve been seeing these elusive omakases all over IG, and after this boy mentioned that he tried it, I wouldn’t shut up about it until he finally took me (it worked).
We got there at 7:30, right on time for the resy, but as it turns out everyone and their moms also have reservations so you’re gonna wait anyway (30 minutes for us).
Okay, so on to this elusive omakase.
Alan’s Omakase, 10 pieces, $ 33. Best. Value. Ever. That’s all you gotta know. If you wanna know more, sit at the counter and chat it up with Alan. He’ll give you the low down on everything.
I have a love/​hate relationship with all that extra two inches of fish that they give you. Cause you go to other sushi places and you’re like where’s my two extra inches of fish?! (Refer to pics)
Anyway, by the end of the night I totally fell in love with.
The sushi. ;)

Amami in two words: phenomenal omakase. The chef’s selection had the best variety of fish, and the quality was apparent at first bite. $ 33 for 10 pieces, what a steal! My favorite was the baby lobster tail, because I found it unique and don’t think I’ve had lobster tail nigiri elsewhere.
The oyster shooters were great as well, and came in easy to eat soup spoons. The ponzu sauce mixed well with the oyster, quail egg, and uni.
Rolls: Romeo and Juliet had the perfect combination of all my favorites. Salmon and avocado on the inside, scallop on the outside.
Tip: make a reservation! As many reviewers have mentioned, there’s still a wait, but we didn’t have to wait more than 15 minutes on a Wednesday night. They take same day reservations as well.
Parking is limited, but there’s a public lot further down the street that’s within walking distance to the restaurant.
Loved how everything was so fresh! I wanted to try the uni and otoro but was already too stuffed from the omakase. Can’t wait to come here next time I’m in the area!

First and foremost, I’m not an omakase connoisseur — I think this is actually my first time having sushi like this! So I don’t have really much to compare it to. I heard that although you make a reservation, you’re still going to have to wait. My friend made a reservation for us. We waited probably about 20 minutes and were seated at the bar. The restaurant is actually really tiny, so make a reservation if anything!
I wanted to try the omakase because that’s all I’ve been seeing on Instagram and Snapchat. There were 10 pieces, which I guess is the standard? I have to say the fish cuts were pretty large. My friend said you get the best deal of omakase here considering the portions and price. There was fresh wasabi, which was yummy but I totally underestimated the spicy level of it because my nose was on fire after putting too much on a piece of fish lol. I think my favorite pieces were the baby lobster piece and the toro. I never knew toro was mushed up like that though. Hot green tea is also served with your meal.
The service here wasn’t that great to be honest. We had to wait a while to flag down a server to refill our tea. I was actually excited to sit near the sushi bar because I thought it would be cool to watch the sushi chefs prepare our meals. But they weren’t really friendly or interactive: shrugs:. All in all, I would come back to fulfill my omakase cravings in the future! I just wish it was closer :/

I died and went to fish heaven yesterday! My girls took me here for my birthday and my first omakase experience– EVERYTHING was damn delicious. I can easily say this was the best sushi I’ve had, especially for the price! The only downside is the wait, but I can definitely see why people would wait an hour to eat here on a weekday.
+$ 8 Ankimo– a MUST try here! I’ve never tasted such fresh ankimo; you get all the rich flavors monkfish liver has with absolutely no fishy aftertaste.
+$ 8 Oyster shooter– came with a little piece of their amazing uni along with a quail egg, fish eggs, & ponzu sauce. We pretty much licked the whole thing up.
+$ 12 Otoro nigiri– generous cut, perfect marbling, can’t say much more than that.
+$ 33 Omakase– I’ve been waiting to try omakase forever and was elated with the outcome here. Every fish tasted fresh and amazing but my favorites were the kanpachi, salmon belly w/​truffle (tasty & deliciously fatty), tuna (yes, tuna!.. first time I’ve ever had RED tuna melt in my mouth!), and albacore w/​toro on top (melting and mouth watering.). I was even surprised the baby lobster was good– perfectly cooked/​seared and you can taste the truffle in it.
If anyone ever asks me for sushi recommendations in the bay area, I will point to here. Ambiance/​service isn’t the greatest but no one really cares because they’ve got price, presentation, quality, and quantity all covered. It’s depressing how far this place is from SJ :(

I came here recently for dinner with a friend. Even though we made a reservation, the wait was still another 30 minutes or so; we ended up at the sushi counter. I ordered the omakase, which is what they’re known for. Super affordable and the quality of the fish is amazing for the price! Cuts of fish are also pretty sizable. For the price, this is definitely the best omakase you can get in the area. My friend also ordered uni — portions were huge! I can definitely see why they’re so popular.
–L.
P. S. Parking can be a little difficult, but there is a small lot a couple of driveways down.

The best Omakase I’ve had in the bay area so far! I think this place is even better than Kusakabe.
— The fish is always fresh and the Nigiris are huge generous pieces.
— Every piece is phenomenal — has great texture, and melts in your mouth.
— The rolls are pretty good too but I think only some of the rolls are amazing. (Hit or miss depending on what you order)
Ordered the sashimi special once and it wasn’t anything as special as the omakase and nigiri specials on the board.
Omakase or go home! cause you’d be disappointed.

Amami Sushi is located on a nondescript stretch of El Camino Real. It thankfully has its own parking lot, though exiting can be challenging given the 90 degree exit and the metal pole as you leave.
Inside, you’ll find a similar low key interior with an 8 seat sushi bar and a variety of tables. The white board contains specials, with emphasis on toro and uni.
Although Amami opens at 5 pm, it’s not unusual to find crowds lining out the door of the small space and it’s clear the Chef Alan has hit a winning formula for the local population. I stopped by to see what the story was and to try the specials.
Ken K’s and Rob C’s reviews are spot on. The emphasis here is large cuts, lots of salmon and tuna, as well as a very different array of toppings and sauces. Honestly, some work (Ankimo, small bits of uni) whereas others add little or even clash with the fish (Masago, avocado). Our sampling:
Omakase — $ 33. By far the most popular item here, the Omakase consists of 10 different nigiri choices. Fatty salmon with black truffle, bluefin tuna, and toro were the standouts. The baby lobster was overcooked and all the sushi had either Tobiko or Masago that didn’t add much. A final nitpick: the rice was too cold and definitely harder than desired as a result. However, overall, a great value.
Oyster Special — $ 8. Served in spoons, it looks like Koo’s spoonful of happiness. Very little Ikura, more Tobiko and Masago, a Quail egg, and raw oyster with heavy handed ponzu sauce lead to a tasty appetizer.
Seared toro with uni — $ 13. The uni on top is tiny but flavorful and the seared toro was excellent. My favorite item.
Blue Shrimp Amaebi -$ 9. A nice price on Amaebi. You can either have the heads deep fried or served in a miso soup. I opted for the soup and liked it.
Crab Roll Remix — $ 12. A roll of two pieces with real crab, Hotate, and salmon. Again, the rice distracted here and I didn’t like this much. The temperature was all wrong.
Albacore Tuna with Ankimo — another nice nigiri combo. Very tasty and less ponzu sauce than the oyster special. Excellent albacore.
Overall, it was nice to try Amami and see why the place is popular. For fans of toro and Uni (many patrons just buy boxes of uni), they’ll love the place. But if you’re critical about rice, more fish variety and less random sauces, you may want to look to nearby Gintei that I personally liked much much more.
As for the Omakase experience (interacting and learning from the sushi chef or receiving recommendations) although I sat at the bar, it’s totally absent. I asked Chef Alan a few questions but he’s so busy making all the sushi that he tells most to just ask the waitresses who are often not as knowledgeable (one didn’t know if they had Chawanmushi or even what it was). Chef Alan does seem comfortable speaking more to his Cantonese and Mandarin speaking customers so that may give you some insight into the target population and the fan base.
Amami Sushi accepts credit cards including Amex.

SERIOUSLY THE BESTTTTTTTT.
$ 33 for 10 piece omakase? YESSSSSSS.
My friend recommended to make reservations so I did 1 day before and I was able to get seated right when I arrived. Unfortunately when I came, there was no uni but everything at this spot was good. The cuts for sashimi are fat and is definitely worth the price.
Tips:
— Parking is very tight so I would recommend to come early so you can park if not you gotta find parking somewhere else.
— Call and make reservations 1 – 2 days ahead.
— TRY THEIR OMAKASE!!!