Teru Japanese Cuisine

1305 State St, Santa Barbara
(805) 679-5835

Recent Reviews

Gurucharan Angisetty

Great food and great service! Lomi Lomi roll with King Salmon was amazing!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Lomi Lomi Roll, Toro

Baptiste Gyger

Great place in Santa

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 5

Ahmet Gyger

Excellent Sushi, Sake, and general

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Greg Elshoff

Amazing sushi! Their Uni is so sweet and fresh. I love how they mix the Toro / Uni / Shiso Leaf. The Toro Trio dish is so good. It's also a really nice small restaurant with a very cozy authentic vibe.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Lomi Lomi Roll, Uni Sea Urchin, Toro

Lora P.

Amazing food!!! We loved it!!! Rio gave fantastic service!!!The shrimp tempura and the edamame were fantastic!!!!

RiCkYjGoOdY

Friendly service great food!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: California Roll, Grilled Ginger Chicken, I Love Surfing, Shrimp Tempura

Alyssa Haglund

Highly recommend dining here! Some of the best sushi I’ve ever had (and I’ve had a lot ?)Food: 10/10. Here’s our standouts:- bluefish trio (special) melts in your mouth. So fresh!- oyster uni (special) one of the best things we’ve ever eaten!- baked eggplant- toro taku roll: toro + uni- welcome roll: topped with salmon and a basil truffle oil. So good!Overall, I don’t think you can go wrong with anything in the specials menu. It changes each day with what’s fresh!They also have a rotating sake on their specials menu, which is fun to try new ones!

Recommended dishes: Sake Sampler, Uni Sea Urchin, Toro, Salmon and Yellowtail

Carey V.

Clean, fresh flavors and savory cuts of fish. We never fail to find a dish we must order from the specials board!Chef Teru has created a great space for a truly Japanese experience

Danielle Ritchie

The food and service are amazing! I had the New Zealand salmon nigiri special and the Dream Press Box. The best!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Yan G

One of the best sushi I had in my life. More than correct prices for the center of Santa Barbara. Friendly staff. Nice place with beautiful paintings on the wall, by a local artist.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Ann D.

Deveric one of the waiters greeted every party that came in and asked if they had a reservation. No one had any reservations and each party was seated promptly. The food was very good. The ambiance is nice with some cute touches like an airplane hanging in the center. I enjoyed the spicy eggplant and the cauliflower salad. My fiancé liked the fiery roll, the chicken karaage, and the aloha roll.

Kelly L.

I wish I tried this spot sooner! Not only does Teru offer an impressive selection of fresh fish and seafood, but their creative rolls and nigiri are unlike anything I've seen at other sushi spots in the area. Here's everything I got:Seared Scallop with Uni - The scallops were incredibly tender and paired well with the melt-in-your-mouth soft uniSunny Press Box Roll - The slices of salmon were huge, and they paired well with the combination of shrimp and spicy tuna.Lomi Lomi Roll - The spicy salmon was diced instead of mashed, which was interesting. The addition of lemon on top added a refreshing touch with its citrusy taste, which I really enjoyed.Bluefin Trio - The trio consists of bluefin tuna, toro, and otoro. Otoro was my personal favorite as it was so fatty and melted in my mouth. The fish were all generously sized and very satisfying to eat. Zuke Toro with Uni - This was my favorite! The uni on this piece was softer, bigger, and sweeter compared to the uni on the seared scallop appetizer. The combination of Toro and uni was so good.Kanpachi Nigiri - It's not a common find in other sushi places in SB. It had a chewy and dense texture. Shima Aji Nigiri - While it's not my personal preference due to its firmer and almost jelly-like texture, it undeniably tasted fresh. One interesting observation I made was that many of the sauces that accompanied the rolls and nigiri contained olive oil, which isn't common and I personally enjoyed the dishes without it. The service was great. The waiter went above and beyond to ensure we had an exceptional dining experience. They took the time to show us the fish and provided detailed explanations of the menu items, offering valuable recommendations. The food arrived promptly, and the restaurant had a clean and inviting ambiance that enhanced our visit.I think I like this spot more than Sun Sushi and Arigato Sushi in SB due to the wide variety of fish options, the super fresh ingredients, the uniqueness of the dishes, the pleasant atmosphere, and the amazing service.

Xiaoqi Yi

Very disappointed. Came in group of five.First, the waitress did not ask all of us what we want to drink and some of us didn’t even get a cup of water until we were about to leave despite we’ve told her. She was disinterested throughout with a poker face.Second, the food came is really small portion and we ordered $150ish food and we were still hungry at the end. There were limited choice for food too, as there were only sushi/rolls/sashimi available. The taste was of mediocre quality.The worst thing is that they tried to charge us mandatory 20% gratuities while suggesting more on the receipt. I asked why mandatory tip and she answered it’s required for a certain number of people. I asked how many is certain number? She’s like ahh three or four or five something. There were completely no signs anywhere and we weren’t told that when we sit in. This is terrible.Save your money and go elsewhere!

Jeremiah M.

Okay, so here's the question... What sushi experience are you looking for? If you're looking for something fancy, don't go here. If you want to overpay, don't go here. But if you want some classic rolls and some incredible sake without breaking the bank, go here. Friendly service, rarely crowded, and you won't leave disappointed.

Erin L.

I had the pleasure of dining at Teru and was blown away by the quality of the food and service. From the moment we walked in, the staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming. To start, I tried the crispy rice and spicy tuna press box special. The tuna was almost like a puree, and the flavors of mango, avocado, and serrano pepper were a perfect complement to the spicy tuna. We also had albacore nigiri, which was incredibly fresh, and the welcome roll with fresh salmon and yellowtail was a standout dish. The basil truffle sauce on top was a delicious surprise that elevated the roll.To accompany the sushi, I ordered the sake tasting and was impressed by the light flavorful sake that Teru offered. The "Oka" sake had a light hint of cherry and pear and was my favorite, while the "Genji" had a refreshing touch of cantaloupe. The atmosphere of the restaurant was open and inviting, making for a comfortable experience.Overall, I highly recommend Teru Sushi to anyone in Santa Barbara looking for exceptional sushi and a welcoming atmosphere. The food is fresh and flavorful, the service is top-notch, and the sake selection is impressive.

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