Yoichi’s

A very traditional Japanese tasting menu. This seven course tasting gives you the most amazing experience of a true Japanese meal. Staring with an appetizer box in which the food represents good fortune, health for the new year to desert of sweet potato or a sesame pudding. Not only was the taste pleasing to the pallet, but the presentation was beautiful.

OK, my wife and I are Japanese food experts. We live in Santa Barbara and Tokyo having residences in both places. Yoichi’s is the real deal – same as Tokyo. If you want authentic Japanese food, not the Amer-​Japanese concoctions of most of the Japanese restaurants in the U. S., or Japanese restaurants run by Koreans, Hispanics and other non-​trained chefs, Yoichi’s is the place. This is an outstanding restaurant run by a chef who simply knows his trade and prepares every dish to perfection. Santa Barbara (the whole West Coast) is lucky to have such a wonderful restaurant. If eating gourmet Japanese food is your thing, like it is to my wife and I, look no further, go straight to Yoichi’s

I’m writing this review with the intention of revisiting Yoichi’s again in the future as I see much potential. The seven course meal was definitely an unique experience as there were many things on the item that I have not tried before — however, I didn’t love all of it. The ankimo (steamed monkfish liver), cod eggs (it looked like a brain), and salted mullet roe (like a stick of compacted fish eggs) were my least favorite, as they are definitely peculiar tastes that require more accustoming to.
Unfortunately, some of the sashimi were also the most disappointing aspect. I appreciate that the chef himself wakes up at 5 am each day to go to the fish market in Los Angeles to pick up fish shipped from Japan. However, in the sashimi portion based on the chef’s selection, only one out of the four fish that I tried were truly fresh. Instead of being supple and firm, the mackerel, amberjack and toro were all towards the thready and mushy consistency. It was shocking to see that they resembled fish that was frozen and overly thawed. They were simply not fresh to my standards for a high-​end kaiseki resturant. The portions of the sashimi were generous, but I would rather see the focus to be on freshness as well as more variety of fish.
Pros: They are great at making accommodations if you are pescetarian and do not eat meat. The beef dish in the appetizer was swapped out for a mountain vegetable mix, which I enjoyed. For those who drink alcohol, they recently got their alcohol license and offer two pages of wine and beer. The portions for most of the seven courses were very generous and I felt quite stuffed. The service was very friendly and thorough, as well as very knowledgable about every item on the menu.
Cons: The ceiling is not insulated so the only group of 4 people that was drinking alcohol really amplified the sound of the entire space. It definitely changed the ambiance of what previous Unilocalers classified the restaurant to be («classy») to something non-​intimate. There is no a la carte menu for trying sashimi that is outside of the kaiseki menu (what the chef picks up from the fish market is what you get). No uni for the uni lovers, at least not on the Thursday night that I went. Again, limited in the variety and freshness of sashimi.
Overall, a fun dining experience to try with others but I am hoping for improvements in quality and variety of fish at my next visit.

This was one of the best 2 hr. experiences (beyond a meal) of my life! It took me back to Japan with the first course and peaked at the 5^th course with steamed oysters that were so tender, rich and delicate that I wouldn’t have guessed were oysters if I had been blindfolded. This is my first Unilocal review because I have never been this pleased with any dining experience or food. The service was superb. This is not classified as a sushi restaurant for a reason. The chef was the one to create the miso black cod dish at Nobu, one of the most memorable on the menu. Therefore, expect high quality (fish shipped overnight from Japan in seawater), authentic Japanese cuisine.

My wife and I are from the San Francisco Bay Area. We both love Japanese food and have it frequently.
We were in Santa Barbara for a couple of days. After reading reviews from Zagat and the Independent, we decided to try give Yoichi’s a try.
I rarely write reviews, but tonight’s kaiseki dinner was extraordinarily good I had to put out a good word. The skill of the chef was evident in dish after dish, bite after exquisite bite. Flavor gets stars. Presentation gets 5 stars. Front of house also gets 5 stars.
I’ll write more when I get home but will upload some pics for now.

Bad reviews of this restaurant are infuriating. This is the best Japanese cuisine south of San Francisco. This place is a must try in Santa Barbara. This is true Japanese food. Japanese people eat some weird shit, so be prepared for that.
The flavors are very subtle, but phenomenal. Every dish brought something different. The king crab was killer. The eel was unreal.
If you are a person who seeks out Pellegrino listers or counts their Michelin stars, this spot is for you. If you love Julienne, come try Yoichi.

Went back for the 3^rd time tonight. Still delicious. Still beautiful. Still perfect.
If I had the money, I’d eat here every day. Highly recommended for adventurous eaters or those who love Japanese food or those who just want an impeccable meal.

We went back tonight, and if only we could give this a six star rating. Everything is done to perfection. Fresh, tasty, interesting, delicious. Please continue your excellent job. Congratulations.

I don’t really Unilocal much any more, but Yoichi’s is just that amazing, I want to shout it from the rooftops. Santa Barbara is awash with «sushi» restaurants that rely on a lot of mayo and cooked fish, and until now I assumed I had to travel to LA to get real sushi. But no! There’s no question about the freshness of the fish here – the sashimi we had the last visit arrived at the restaurant still alive. My husband and I have had a number of meals here, and each one has been just exquisite. The owners are exceedingly kind and knowledgeable, and I feel so lucky to have them open a restaurant that serves fish fresh from the Tsukiji market in Japan in Santa Barbara, of all places.
I’ve been here when it was there was a liquor license and when there wasn’t, and it really didn’t matter to me. The food is so excellent that I don’t really want to drink much while enjoying it – the flavors do wonderfully on their own.
Thank you so much, Yoichi owners! Your existence is a huge bright spot on the SB dining scene.

Very interesting* meal. Anyone going here should know that the omakase is only available Tuesday through Thursday. The standard 7 course meal is decadent and meant for a very adventurous eater. There were some shining bright spots (uni was amazing, scallop was amazing), but it felt more like we were fighting through the extravagance than enjoying a meal.

Until now a visit to Santa Barbara has always been bittersweet — yes we love the pristine Spanish mission style promenade… yes we love the long stretches of ocean shore… ohhhh… but the Japanese food… yikes
THEN… like a gift from the sea comes Yoichi. A former chef from Nobu Tokyo, Yoichi brings lovely, thoughtful, wonderful Kaiseki to this off the strip dining room.
This (reasonable compared to other equivalent spots) set menu is delicious — and nothing like any other dining experience in SB.
This is maybe the first ‘destination’ restaurant I have found in SB to date — and against the rather meager competition I give it easily 5 stars on the Santa Barbara scale.
Here is the hitch… this place is NOT packed — and SB seems not to get what they have here… Ladies and Gentleman of the coast — get your collective heads out of your spicy tuna rolls and celebrate what you have here — before you loose it!
Thank you Yoichi — Great spot!

3.5 Stars
Went here with my wife a few nights ago. The ingredients are fresh and the courses are good but a few of the courses didn’t really wow us. The staff is very nice and very attentive with great service. The atmosphere is a little bland and the lighting is a bit too much.
For $ 85.00 per person, I felt that they could of given a few more pieces of sushi on the sushi course or a little more sashimi on the sashimi course. I left hungry and wanted more. I felt for what we received, that $ 65.00 or $ 70.00 per person would have been more appropriate.
This place has the potential to be really outstanding. They expect to receive their alcohol license soon. Our server said they plan to have a sake pairing option with their menu which would be a huge plus in my opinion. Hopefully the owner /​chef will add just a little more food to a few of the courses or tweak the pricing down just a little bit.
My wife and I will return to give them another shot after they receive their alcohol license.

Visiting Santa Barbara for the weekend and wanted some Japanese food. Did a search, found Yoichi’s and was instantly intrigue because they only serve a seasonal 7 course Kaiseki dinner which is unheard of outside San Francisco and possibly L. A. They appear to be quite new with only 20 reviews or so but all are 5 stars! So I called, made a reservation, when we arrived we where quickly greeted and taken to a table. The 7 courses took approximately 2 hours to serve, the food was wonderfully presented, fantastically fresh, tasty and I could not have asked for more! If you enjoy real Japanese food and or are willing to be adventurous, you have to try Yoichi’s next time you are in Santa Barbara!

Truly exquisite from beginning to end. It is clear how much time, skill, and love goes into preparing and presenting this food, down to the finest detail. I wish I’d taken more pictures. It was a true dining experience. At first I thought I would miss the sake, but it was almost better without alcohol. It kept me present to the whole sensory experience of this meal. Each course was uniquely different in flavors and textures. Now that I know what I’m getting into, I think I will enjoy it even more the next time. No need for dinner AND a movie here — the food is the show! Definitely take your appetite and a sense of adventure with you!

Refinement. That’s the best word to describe not just the meal, but the whole experience. Grilled Ayu, a fish in season for only a short time, and cooked whole, with the eggs intact. Or Flying Fish Sashimi, plated as if it was an abstract painting of a fish in flight. Or even something as simple as the flatware and drinking vessels, which are made by hand by a local Japanese artisan and chosen for their aesthetic harmony with each dish. There’s such attention to detail, that I felt it was a crime not to photograph everything that came out of the kitchen. My favorite restaurant in Santa Barbara… there’s nothing that comes even close.

I was a bit skeptical when the hostess, over the phone, told me it’s a traditional Japanese sushi restaurant and the meals come in 7 courses and that they don’t currently have their liquor license. But, there was something about the honesty in her highly educated-​Japanese-​American-​English accent. I looked over at my wife, who’d been listening over a travel magazine as she looked up and smiled, indicating she was down to try it. «Book us for 8:30…were walking over from the Upham,» I said before hanging up.
The street isn’t as well lit as we expected, as the restaurant is nestled between homes that appear to be converted into business… the same for Yoichi’s. We walked into an empty restaurant and was greeted with a traditional bow and the standard, «do you have reservations» by a young slightly nervous but adorable waitress/​hostess. I smiled, «yes, under Paul.»
The look of the restaurant was understated elegance. Everything looked to be where it should be. Easy to see it was well thought out. My wife couldn’t get over the dishes… she continued to comment until the more mature waitress explained they were made by a friend specifically for this restaurant. Even as a somewhat disinterested guy, I could see why my wife was impressed. …even the soy sauce container was unusually chic. Lastly, on the decorum, the bench with which we sat had slightly angled back with a padded seat. The item that caught my attention was, for some very strange and unusual reason, the back felt padded. But it wasn’t – it was a simple hard-​wood finish… but, it felt padded. I kept touching to see if I was somehow mistaken. I don’t have any idea how they achieved this feat…
The food was epic. Everything beautifully presented and explained. And get this, the menu changes daily depending on the catch. We had fish I’d never heard of and I’ve been eating sushi for over 30 years. They had soups, steams, grills, raw… This may have been the best sushi I’ve ever had. To further illustrate, I’ve never been a big fan of uni, but the young waitress very subtly and elegantly encouraged us to try the uni shooter. What the hell, right? After trying it, I ordered two more. Turns out the Master Chef trained at the original Nobu in Japan.
Lastly, the service and the conversation were impeccable. There was the perfect amount of conversation and silence. As good as the Master Chef, the Mistress Waitress was equal – the way they kept your glass filled and ask if you wanted more ice; the way the kept the table spotless throughout the meal… the perfectly timed comments. Ladies and gentlemen, this place is a hidden gem in Santa Barbara. Don’t walk, run.
Initially, I thought food might be slightly expensive, but after trying it, with the quality, taste, and presentation, it was well worth it. In fact, I left them a 45% tip because of the experience – one just does not often experience something this unique anywhere.
My only knock was they served green ice tea from a can… I hate that…

Very nice people but they have some work to do.
They have no liquor license, which was wasn’t the end of the world, but it’s awfully expensive to not have anything except water or green tea.
They do what they call kaiseki, but it really isn’t. It’s really more omakase, without the complicated preparations and plating you would get in Japan. It was also $ 85 dollars per person. I’m completely fine with spending that amount of money for an experience that lives up to it. This really didn’t. I wanted to love the place, it’s really cute and the servers were super attentive and kind. However, I can go to many other omakase places and get higher caliber food for the same amount or less. It just didn’t blow me away. They are new, so I hope they sort some of the kinks out.

This is a surprising and a very interesting addition to the SB dining scene. There is some work to do, and I am not sure if this kind of concept will fly here at all, but I definitely appreciated the unique ability to experience a traditional Kaiseki menu without some other influence (French, New American, what have you).
First, let me warn you that they don’t have a liquor license yet. It’s a long story, but someone in the neighborhood complained and it has to have its due process in court.
Entering Yoichi’s you can tell that the paint is fresh and the service has yet to be streamlined as if they are still getting used to patrons even choosing this place for dinner. As a 6pm arrival I was the only patron for a good 45 minutes before about 3 – 4 parties arrived… most tourists I gathered from the accents and conversations. This is a very strange place for this type of restaurant. Off the beaten path of State St. by 3 blocks, but luckily on Victoria which hosts an abundance of high end establishments albeit a brisk walk away.
Chef Yoichi boasts an impressive resume, having worked at the famed NOBU in Tokyo, Japan for many years. The presentation and quality of the dishes were indicative of someone with decades of training.
I decided on the 7 course Kaiseki menu. I’m not sure I have ever had a 7 course meal without some kind of alcohol pairing, so I was slightly worried about getting through it without tapping out being full. All turned out well, 3 sparkling waters and a green tea sufficed to lubricate and facilitate the meal.
The first course is a smörgåsbord of flavor, from a kumomoto oyster to monkfish liver prepared in the style of foie gras torchon, to a simply cooked onion with barley and a dismally appealing potato offering. An amuse bouche of soy and seaweed helped to neutralize the palate in between tasting.
Course 2 was a delicate fish cake with carrot and broccoli served with a benito broth. This was beautifully presented. Kaiseki menus traditionally start out very humble… this was most humble indeed and I wish it weren’t so. I did enjoy the broth.
Course 3 was assorted sashimi… a familiar trio of salmon, yellowtail and ahi. Although the fish was overwhelmingly perfect, fresh and presented impeccably, it was all too familiar.
Course 4 was the highlight. A miso black cod, miso from Kyoto (I’m told this is a sweeter tasting version), citrus. This was absolutely amazing. I would go back and just order this.
Course 5 was the most impressive functionally and visually, a steamed portion of eel with ginger and broth. There were a few sharp bones that took me off guard so be aware.
Course 6 proved to be an extension of the sashimi course through a different offering of nigiri. Big eye tuna, amberjack and Thai red snapper proved to be of excellent quality, bite sized and of taste. Perhaps a return visit to explore their nigiri offering is warranted.
Course 7 was a «dessert». Although I can’t say I have the palate to appreciate such a course. A red bean paste seemed to engulf a few oblong portions of what tasted just like pureed and unseasoned rice. Not my style and, from the server’s reaction, my comments were not surprising in the least bit.
Definitely an experience and something that is absolutely unique to Santa Barbara. I was able to meet with Chef Yoichi briefly after the meal and relay my comments. He was very nice and explained how he prepared some of the courses after my promptings.
My recommendation: if you aren’t used to a Kaiseki menu… just go and start small. Don’t go all in like I did the first time, unless you are like me…
The menu is about to change after this weekend, so expect other offerings than my review and others’ recent photos.
i tadaki mas

I just had the pleasure of eating a wonderful kaiseki style meal at what is easily the best Japanese restaurant in Santa Barbara. The characteristics of a good kaiseki meal are seasonal fresh ingredients, a number of cooking techniques used, and an artistic presentation. On all fronts Yoichi’s excels.
Before describing the meal in a little more detail you should know that a proper kaiseki changes with the seasons and you are likely to have different items. However, you can trust this chef who is clearly very skilled.
The first course consisted of several small appetizers ranging from a Japanese clam to a small soup. All were delicious but the thing that stood out to me, and what makes a good kaiseki meal are the details. The clam was presented on a small bed of salt which links the clam to the sea. Excellent and artistic.
The soup was a wonderful shrimp ball with a complementary soup stock. The flavor was excellent but what elevated the dish was the presentation. The shrimp ball was fashioned into a rock shape and some very thin carrots were shaped into a shrimp shape to portray the shrimp on a rock. It was beautiful and delicious.
There was a sashimi course and a sushi course as part of the kaiseki. The selection of fish was tasty and the sushi actually had vinegar in the rice as it should. One of my pet peeves in Santa Barbara is that many Japanese restaurants here use little to no vinegar in the sushi. This is odd because the «su» in sushi means vinegar!
One of my favorite dishes was an eel rolled with a vegetable filling and placed in a soup. It was so tender I’m not sure how the chef placed it in the soup! The grilled fish was absolutely perfectly cooked and the fish was incredibly fresh!
Lastly the dessert was homemade mochi with a sweet azuki bean sauce. Sweet but not too sweet.
I will be back and I am very happy to have this caliber of Japanese food in Santa Barbara!
TL;DR: Tasty and artistic Japanese food which rivals the best places in LA. Go here, you will thank me later.

Sushi was amazzzzing! This is a very traditional sushi restaurant so don’t go in expecting rolls and teriyaki bowls.
I tried just about every piece of sushi you could order and loved all of it. Everything from the rice to the fish and the way it was plated was awesome. The owner was there too when I came in and she was so sweet and really explained all the dishes to me.
There is one beef dish on the kaiseki menu which is one of my new fave dishes in town and which I recommend you get. My other faves were the salmon belly and uni. Definitely will be going back!