Edomasa

Open late. Delicious fresh sushi. Affordable. Atmosphere reminds me of home (San Francisco) not pretentious… may not be what some SB folks are looking for.

Best sushi restaurant in SB. Awesome customer service, food and location. I have been going there for years and will continue too. Oyster shooters are amazing and so is the buffalo volcano roll! Keep it up, Edomasa!

BEST SUSHI IN SB FOR SURE!!! Everytime I go there, they are soo nice. The food is seriously soooo good! I have tried almost every roll and cannot complain! The fish is super fresh and delicious! Melts in your mouth kind of sushi. I trust the chefs and the cleanliness. I’ve been going here for 5 years and it is by far the best. The prices are super reasonable considering SB prices for sushi. The yellowtail carpacio is super tasty. My favorite rolls are the Baltimore Roll, Godzilla roll (for health nuts), and the buffalo volcano roll (for the foodies!). I would recommend their food every time.
I have also tried their Udon soup which is really good and the Yakisoba. Yummmmm.
BEST SUSHI and they are open late night!!!

We love Edomasa. The food is always excellent, the service is always nice, the portions are always huge. Friday evening we stopped by after going to a book signing because that’s just what we do when we go to SB.
I had the seafood tempura special and my husband had the Kou special. All of it was fantastic; I recommend the agadashi-​tofu also because it’s just delicious. My only complaint is that the shrimp skewers weren’t de-​veined and were skewered whole (i.e. The shell hadn’t been cut down the spine, thus the spinal cord and poop-​shoot were still attached… yikes!)
Thomas was our waiter and he was great! He was very pleasant and attentive. I was really impressed by his multitasking abilities; he was taking orders, delivering food, running the POS system, answering phones, checking in on tables. Wow. We were very happy and will be back again soon!

Not sure why many of the rolls are cooked. Maybe the fish isn’t that fresh?
1. Service was great and cooks were quick (although I think everyone already had their food so the kitchen made rolls for just us)
2. Sushi is meh, and only a 5 piece roll
3. Sushi a ⁴⁄₁₀ on my list
3. Since there are very limited late night places open in SB, this will stay
Not sure why the rolls are wrapped inside out. Not my style. Also it felt there was too much going on in both rolls. Olive oil was VERY overpowering.

We have eaten here a couple times, and the sushi is pretty good! Fresh and reasonably priced! The appetizer items are priced high, as portions are super small compared to other sushi restaurants in town offerings/​prices. I had the Godzilla roll and the Lobster roll this time, and lobster roll had way too much rice and not enough lobster. The Godzilla roll I taste only Tuna and the olive oil and shiso leaf so was a little disappointed in my choices this time. Maybe it’s a hit or miss depending on the sushi chefs working?
Service is good, my only complaint was our water! I know it’s free but the water tastes funny and then I realized there was green onion in the glass??? They weren’t cleaned very well and kinda grossed me out. So watch your glasses, or just stick to hot sake and you’ll be fine!
BIG TIP!!! Do not sit on the back table!!! They are having a major fly (like fruit fly or gnats)!!! I commented and the waiter who seated us was aware and blamed it on the owners and they are not doing anything about it? Uhhh well they shouldn’t have sat us at the table! And gnats are around because of trash/​fruit! Ugh kinda put a damper on the experience!

The service here is insaaaanely fast! I swear if it’d been any faster, they’d have my food ready before I even got the chance to order, lol. All jokes aside, the service was great, and the food was fantastic. Seemed very authentic. I got the Marina roll, which was delicious (but could’ve used a little more avocado in my opinion) and the gyoza, which was super well seasoned and well cooked. I also highly recommend the yakitori. Everyone else in my party was happy with their order, too! I’ll definitely be stopping by more often if I go to UCSB :)

I ordered the buffalo volcano roll which is fairly average in flavor. Although it does not lack flavor, it’s not exactly the most complex. There’s really no balance. The monk fish liver sashimi is really delicious though. For a late night joint, cravings of sushi are squashed here. But for a go to joint during the day? I’d probably opt for another store.

The seafood salad was really good, but other than that their sashimi and rolls were mediocre. The sashimi didn’t seem that fresh and the salmon almost seemed dyed. It didn’t have that fatty and pink coloration I usually see in salmon. The rolls weren’t okay but didn’t seem to offer much flavor. We sat at the bar and it was really cool watching them make the sushi but it’s a pretty small place and gets packed really fast so try to get there early.

We went on a Friday Night. Everyone was really nice and the service was great. Atmosphere and décor was ok, nothing special but definitely clean. The sushi was not so great. Average to below average quality fish. Hopefully it was just the night we came.

Overall great experience. The place gives off an authentic Japanese vibe. The waiters are prompt, friendly, and attentive. The food is delicious! I will definitely be coming back for more! Try the fried soft shell crab, it’s awesome.

I’ve decided to be painfully truthful in all my reviews, but this place has a personal attachment, so I’ll do my best to stay true to truth.
First the Really Good:
I first started coming here as part of a karate class final day sort of celebration and I was hooked on their variations of sushi and wonderful plate options that actually is affordable, in my eyes.
Then I found out I actually know the owners and their family and they are awesome people. 99% of the people working at this place are nice and accommodating!
I would probably die if I could never again have their BALTIMORE ROLL-​Tempura crab meat, cream cheese, cucumber, avocado, w/​spicy sauce. or their BUFFALO VOLCANO ROLL-​Baked California roll plus cream cheese w/​spicy sauce.
Their Ramen and Udon is HUGELY portioned and AMAZING, and they offer a plate that has so much food for just 10 or 12 dollars that is truly a great deal.
Its also open late, which rocks, and has so many options that even sushi haters will still find food they can have without any fishiness whatsoever– chicken katsu, appetizers, curry, etc.
Most of the servers are friendly, professional, and we tip really great for them! (more on that later)
The Bad:
It can get loud, during the weekend they don’t take reservations, being so busy, so sometimes you can wait QUITE a while for seating (though it is very worth it) It isn’t a super intimate place, but you can still have groups or two’s and not feel right on your neighbor.
The Really Bad:
I dine here A LOT. A LOT A LOT. (This piece has been edited down for readability) There is a waiter here who really needs to remember that a) you choose your job, b) 100% of your paycheck comes from your diners. Suffice to say my dining experience will never be the same since I encountered him, and I have gone back less ever since the incident.
In summary, this is a great place for good sushi and tasty food, at a great cost and no skimping on quality. Just ignore the one server. You’ll know him when you get there. To be fair the older lady server is amazing, and more than makes up for him. She is so sweet, always has a smile, and we try to tip her exceptionally large when we can.

We wanted some Japanese comfort food so for the first time we didn’t order any of the sushi or sashimi — which I have no complaints about whatsoever! It’s all yummy stuff.
I ordered the house special broiled fish. You have a choice of 2 kinds of fish: Japanese mackerel and/​or Pike fish. I chose one of each and it comes with a heaping bowl of rice, miso soup, cucumber/​seaweed salad, and mochi ice cream. This was an excellent dish! It was just what I was craving and I never had to reach for extra seasoning, well except for the bottle of sriracha! the two types of fish were really balanced against each other, but you should know that they come with bones and all. The mackerel had less bones because it was just one side of the fish and was more tender and juicy. The pike fish was a whole fish, so it had a lot more bones, and it was more tuna tasting with firmer flesh. I absolutely loved both, but if you’re not in the mood to pick a lot of bones out, then I would go with the mackerel.
My hubby had the ginger pork, also under the house special category, so it came with the same extras that I had. When it came out we both gasped out loud at the sight of it, it was huge! But turned out, it’s a lot of bean sprouts underneath so it’s manageable for one hungry person. Hubby really enjoyed it. I thought it was a little on the sweet side and I don’t like sweet with savory flavors such as teriyaki. But if you don’t mind, it’s a nice change from the usual pork dishes they have.
The whole meal was delightful and our server was really awesome. Perfect start to our movie date :)

I know I throw a lot of shade at the Asian restaurants in Santa Barbara and am constantly whining about how few options there are. And I know everyone loves Edomasa because it’s inexpensive (ish) and stays open late (ish). Good job… but, I’d kind of expect those things at a casual, college town sushi joint. I really can’t get into the sticky tables and dim halogen lights. The sushi is okay, but unmemorable, and the menu is pretty basic. Don’t hate me. I’m sorry, I really want to like Edomasa, but it just doesn’t do it for me.

Nope.
Just finished eating some take out from this place and it was incredibly disappointing.
We ordered the dinner special, which includes choice of roll (California or spicy tuna), miso, salad, chicken teriyaki, tempura, and rice. We also ordered a Tokyo roll (yellow tail, avocado, and cucumber).
The miso was good– very solid and standard miso.
The salad was DRENCHED in dressing. It was basically ginger soup with some lettuce in it. Totally blah.
The tempura was okay. The dipping sauce had no flavor. I had to add a bunch of soy sauce to make it work.
The spicy tuna roll was okay. Not spicy at all.
The chicken teriyaki lacked some serious flavor and the chicken didn’t look fresh.
The Tokyo roll was absolutely terrible. After one bite, I thew it away. First off, the yellowtail was cooked. Yes, cooked! There was NO indication of this on the menu. I’m a sushi lover and that’s I thought I was getting. See photos. The yellowtail looked and tasted like StarKist tuna. Complete rip off.
The food did come out fast, which was nice, but I would have preferred they spend more time making an enjoyable meal. I would have gladly waited.
To top off the experience, they charge a 5% service fee for take out orders. Because putting food in a styrofoam box is deserving of an extra 5%? Sheesh.

The good news is that it’s open late, aside from that one perk, this little sushi restaurant can be described really easily in one word; average.
They used too much wasabi on their sashimi and nigiri for my liking. I have to admit that I am just not a fan of wasabi in general though so my opinion on that is definitely biased. As far as anything with the crab in it they use a very mayo heavy imitation crab which I personally don’t prefer. I did enjoy the edamame, miso soup, and spicy tuna rolls, but hey, it’s basically impossible to screw those things up.
The staff was friendly and we were seated very quickly which was a plus. Overall the setting is very casual and the interior is in need of some renovations.

Awesome sushi place with much more than just sushi. Highly, highly recommend all of their speciality rolls but especially the Buffalo Volcano roll! Perfect spot for lunch or dinner!

Always on point!
Love the food and the quality interaction with the staff and owner.
Great food… all so authentic!
Great sake too!
Fun on a date or with a group!

Edomasa deserves 4-​stars for being the only restaurant in Santa Barbara opened past 9:00pm. In fact, this sushi bar is opened until midnight most nights of the week. We come here every now and again for late night eats when we’ve passed up other restaurants. The food is decent, not the best.
Things to try:
Salmon Miso Yaki
Agedashi Tofu
Yellowtail Kama
Salmon Carpaccio

If you have low expectations in sushi and service, then this place is for you! I’ve been to Edomasa twice and that was TWO TIMES TOO MANY. This place is your average, overpriced sushi spot. Even though the reviews were average, I noticed the menu had a bunch of traditional Japanese options that most sushi restaurants don’t offer and had high expectations.
The first time my boyfriend and I came here, we ordered the deluxe love boat. It came with 6 pieces of nigiri (Tuna, halibut, eel, and crab to name a few) and 2 pieces of gukan (ikura and uni), maybe 6 slices of sashimi, a pile of ikura, and a rainbow roll for ~$ 45?! The sashimi was decently fresh, but the type of fish it came with were all cheap. There was nothing deluxe about it besides the gukan. I was so disappointed. For the price, we could of had a more filling and satisfying meal anywhere else.
The second time we came, we ordered the deluxe sushi and two rolls. Again, very cheap sushi that was NOT worth the price. The rolls seemed so average and I could tell the quality of the nori was not that great because it seemed soggy and stale. We left even more disappointed and felt so unsatisfied.
Overall, we will NOT be coming back here. I have yet to try other sushi spots in Santa Barbara because after Edomasa, I feel like no where in SB will compare to the quality of sushi I’ve had in the Bay Area.