Tsunami Sushi

Very friendly service! The sushi was very fresh and delicious! I recommend the sonny roll :) It looks a bit empty, but this restaurant has pretty good Japanese food.

I recently started a new job next to Moffett Field and have been looking for a regular spot to grab a quick lunch. I decided to try Tsunami Sushi, I didn’t even consult Unilocal!first! I arrived and the restaurant probably had 3 tables occupied. The restaurant appeared clean and well kept, it had a relaxing atmosphere :) No waitress or hostess was in sight, but the man behind the sushi bar quickly seated me and took my drink order! Eventually the waitress found me and brought me my drink. I then ordered the Maguro (tuna) sashimi appitizer, the Sonny roll, and soup. The soup came out quickly and was the perfect temp! My sashimi came out next and was extremely fresh and tasty! My roll was the last to pop out, a deep fried roll with spicy tuna, unagi, cream cheese, and avacado (I think) haha. It was also VERY GOOD! My bill came and I paid and left within the hour (the perfect time for my lunch break!) I will definitely be back again soon!

I was very impressed with the quality of food we had when visiting yesterday for happy hour. I usually stick to my favorites when trying out a new sushi place but the group decided to have a «surprise us» platter and it was FANTASTIC! My favorite was the unagi roll. I highly recommend trying them & consider this a somewhat hidden gem on Castro.

We just had a business meeting at Tsunami sushi. It was great. The Happy hour 30% off was nice. We told them to surprise us and they served sushi for about 15 people. The spicy dragon roll was amazing. I’m a sucker for Japanese Salad and seaweed salad both very good. I like the peanut dressing. The tempura vegetable was very good. I think there was even tempura squash leaf. If you are in a hurry this might be too slow for you but for us it was perfect. The crunchy shrimp roll was also very good.
I just love this place. They always give a little extra surprise. This time it was fried bananas with orange sauce. No charge.

Luckily, I didn’t read any reviews before popping in for lunch at Tsunami today. Had I done so, I may not have given them a try. As it is, I had the best sashimi I’ve had in awhile. I have just moved back to the Peninsula after a long absence and have been systematically trying every sushi restaurant in the area, looking for the one I can count on to serve me incredibly fresh and tasty fish. Well, I definitely found it here. I had maguro, hamachi, sake, hototegai, and unagi. In most restaurants, even if the fish is nice and fresh, only two or three of those items will be rich in flavor. At Tsunami, all five items were fresh and flavorful. The service was wonderful — there if I needed something, invisible if I didn’t. I came in after most of the lunch crowd was gone and found the subdued lighting and quiet atmosphere a perfect accompaniment to my incredible lunch. So glad I went in. I highly recommend you try it.
I just reread this and saw how many times I used the word «fresh.» But, honestly, is there any other word you want associated with the fish you’re eating? :-)

meh.

Went in for lunch today. It’s not the first time I’ve been here, but I haven’t been in for a while.
The honey and I ordered hamachi nigiri, 2 orders of sake nigiri, yam roll, kamikaze hamachi roll, the tempura crunch roll (the one with crab), red dragon roll, 2 miso soups, iced tea, hot tea, and diet coke. Everything was great. Miso was good, the salmon was tasty (one piece of mine had a scale on it), my yam roll was impressive (the yam was still warm!), and the hamachi roll was different in a tasty way. The honey scarfed his stuff down so it must have been good as well.
The waitress was a super sweetie — properly attentive, timed right, and no issues with getting our order correct. Prices seemed about average.
I think the décor is a little kitschy but really cute, especially the fish shaped «window». Women’s bathroom is huge and clean. Bathroom faucet could use a little work though, and I don’t know if I saw accessibility bars. I like the Japanese music they play, it reminds me of my friend’s family growing up.
It’s always amazing to me how empty this place is at lunch time in Mountain View. There were only 6 other people in there when we left. I’ve read some other reviews now and I guess other people have had bad experiences here, but I’m not one of them.
Happy to come back.

There was a bit of discussion regarding a three or four star review. On one hand, the food wasn’t the greatest — the maguro was a tad stringy, and they’re closing the business, selling to someone else, because they’re going into another business manufacturing their homemade salad dressing full-​time. On the other hand, the service was very sweet, and they have the option of bento boxes. In the spirit of the holidays, I went with four stars.
We happened here because the only way I could convince boyfriend to eat at a sushi restaurant was if they had a bento box — he wanted no sushi, just bento. Thankfully, this place was right next to Red Rock, where we had been camped out for a few hours doing work (okay, HE was doing work… I was looking at funny cat pictures. I’m a very unproductive computer person, hence why I’m writing this review instead of studying up on cash flow projections).
He got the three side items; salmon with teriyaki, sashimi, and gyoza. I got the two side bento box; gyoza and sashimi, which they very thoughtfully accommodated my request for maguro nigiri instead of sashimi. We also ordered hot tea and dug in. It didn’t take too long for the food to come out because the place was surprisingly empty (we probably got there really early).
Enjoyed by all — even the salad with the dressing (except for the slightly stringy maguro). Apparently Joe Montana is endorsing their dressing product, and I trust him because he’s a great former football player. That’s how that works, right? Anyway, maybe they haven’t closed yet so you should come in here and get some bento box before it’s too late.

one of the sushi fish was probably past its due date, it smelled fishy and tasted like expired fish. When we asked the server about it, she took the food back to the kitchen and came back with another slice of the same fish. We tried to eat it again but couldn’t due to the expired nature of the fish. When we asked our server again about the fish not being fresh, the reply was shocking: «Every fish is different, and that’s how this type of fish tastes». We’ve had our share of albacore in our life to know that’s not the case, so all of us stopped eating in disgust. There was no sign of any attempt to remedy the situation, so we paid and left.
All three of us like sushi a lot, and we all could smell the fishy smell of the bad sushi. If you value your health, I recommend staying away from here.
The other fish, though not expired (tuna, salmon and yellow tail) were of very low quality, and portions were very small, but the prices do not reflect that. You can get much better sushi at other places in MV for the same prices.

======================== MAJOR UPDATE =======================
After dozens of fantastic dining experiences at Tsunami, I regret to have to revise this review. I don’t know how I could have had such a radically different experience but it completely shattered my confidence. The service was polite as ever, but much slower than usual, despite being rather empty. Much of the sashimi tasted as though it was nearing expiration. I wasn’t even able to finish, and I never leave sushi on my plate! I wouldn’t bump them down to two stars if it were just an issue of service, but you just can’t serve bad fish. Terrible pity… I was very fond of this place, but I am uncomfortable taking chances with sushi.
======================== INITIAL REVIEW ========================
I don’t know how this place has such a low rating on Unilocal.I thought I’d stumbled upon the wrong page!
I’m a fairly critical customer. To date I haven’t been accused of being too nice in my reviews. That being said, I have nothing bad to say about Tsunami Sushi. Prices may seem a little high but they are fairly typical for fresh sushi. If you want to pay $ 25 and be satiated, I recommend you lower your standards and head over to Todai.
Since discovering this place within the last year, I have been a handful of times and have always left well fed and impressed with the extraordinary service.
I’ll keep it simple for those who don’t like to read:
Quiet, serene atmosphere — no loud pop music or frat boys screaming «sake bomb!»
Genuine and courteous staff — the waitress must have filled my cup of tea five times last night! Normally I find this kind of over-​service borderline annoying, but the staff here is so unobtrusive and respectful that I find myself drinking more tea just to have them come back.
Tasty selection — some of my go-​to favorites include the seared tuna and hamachi sashimi, tuna kamikaze roll, rock n’ roll, and the crunchy roll. I usually lean toward the more traditional rolls. I don’t need three kinds of sauce covering my sushi.

Ick, I should have known better than to try this place that has only 3 stars according to Unilocal.There are so many better options available on Castro and in the Downtown MV area in general.
I stopped by around 6:50 on a weekday evening, and this place was a ghost town. That should have been my first warning, but my dining companion chalked it up to the early hour. Now that I think about it, 6:50 isn’t that early. I was a little bit appalled at the high prices. Maybe their lunch specials are more reasonably priced, but we’re talking $ 17 for a 3 item bento box. I went with the tempura soba noodles instead. It came with a normal sized bowl of super mushy soba noodles. Talk about way overcooked. And the broth was way too salty to drink. The side of tempura came on top of a tray with paper to drain the oil. There were two shrimp and an assortment of vegetables. I only tried the broccoli, eggplant, and yam. They were okay, not too oily. I have a major complaint about the tempura dipping sauce though: I think they used straight up soy sauce, and it had flakes of tempura pieces in it even before I dipped my tempura… weird. The sauce was definitely not tempura sauce as it was way too salty. I didn’t eat the carrot or the pumpkin tempura. The portion size was okay, but I expected the food quality to be better for $ 13.
My companion seemed to enjoy his 3 item bento, but the portion size was too small for him because he ended up ordering a roll. It looked kind of soggy, like the rice was overcooked, but he seemed to enjoy it.
Bottom line, I won’t be back.

I was satisfied, but for the price it is not worth it. Chirashi set was $ 18.95 so $ 22, 23 after tip. The fish was not fresh either. Go to Fu Lam Mum instead. :(

This is my go-​to place for sushi! I’ve been eating here for almost 2 years now, usually eat here twice/​thrice a month during the summer months, but unfortunately, not so often during the winter months. I always bring out of town visitors here because the sashimi is delish, the service is excellent, and it’s never SUPER, SUPER crowded. The entrance to the place is tiny and can be easily overlooked walking down busy Castro.
I always get the seaweed salad, and shrimp tempura appetizer, which are fresh and delish! Their miso soup is very tasty and not too salty. The owner has her own green tea salad dressing, which is amazing! My boyfriend always orders salmon nigiri, I get tobiko nigiri, and then we share a Red Dragon Roll (spicy tuna! Yay!) and/​or a Rock n Roll. Sometimes I get the beef teriyaki dinner instead of the rolls which comes in a HUGE platter with a carved orange and a bowl of rice. It’s a good price and it’s big enough to feed two normal-​sized adults. I’ve also tried their udon noodles and was delicious as well! For dessert, their fried bananas and green tea ice cream are worth trying, too! I’ve found that these things are my favorite here and I only stick to these, and haven’t tried anything else outside of the above-​mentioned items.
All I care about at a sushi restaurant is that the fish is tasty and at a good price. This place does it and does it well!

The kitchen was incredibly slow when we visited. It took 20 minutes for them to make us a few sushi rolls, and there weren’t more than about 12 customers total in the restaurant. The fish was very tasty but served in smaller-​than-​average portions at higher-​than-​average prices. With so many sushi restaurants in the area I see no reason to go back to this one.

5 STARS for GREAT SERVICE on a Friday Night!!!
We were here for a friend’s birthday and initially we had Miyake’s in Palo Alto as the restaurant to celebrate the birthday dinner. BUT! We had a huge party with no reservations. We had a tight schedule because we also had a reservation for bottle service at Zen Lounge on Castro where we needed to be in before 11. There was no way we’d make it back in time from Palo Alto to make it before 11 so I suggested we call around and see what sushi spot would offer saki bombs and great sushi at the same time for a party of nearly 20.
Tsunami Sushi was the answer! I was amazed how empty it was on a Friday night because the place looked pretty and the food was great. On top of that, the service ladies were super nice. They offered to hold the birthday cake until dessert time. We were a noisy and rowdy crowd but not once did the waitresses give us a bad look or give us a sign that we needed to tone it down. When it was dessert time, in addition to the cake, they had given us 2 complimentary dessert platters for our birthday girl’s special day.
If you’re looking for a place with great food and awesome service for a big party, you should consider looking into TSUNAMI SUSHI!!!
Happy Unilocaling!

Let me say that the food is decent. No complaints. But for the prices they charge you would think that the food would be something special. Maybe it’s the Mountain View location fee? Ordered a 2 item combo for $ 16.95 — sushi and fried oysters. Sushi was 3 cali rolls, and 3 nigiri, and there were 4 oysters. My friends got 3 item combos for $ 19.95 — definitely a better deal — probably should have gone with that. The rest of the sushi rolls are $ 1 – 2 more than I’m used to paying. Nice people though, and it was cute that they were playing the Lion King. Unfortunately, I think my money is best spent elsewhere.

Maybe it was just an off day. Or maybe because we came for lunch. I came here on a weekday for lunch with a coworker. There was only one other table when we got there. We both ordered the lunch box with two items (for me, sashimi + salmon teriyaki). The sashimi was definitely not fresh and the salmon teriyaki was just okay. For $ 12.95, I expected more. With all the other sushi choices in the area, I don’t think I’ll be coming back.
–L.

I was still stunned everytime I passed by or saw the sign that they had on their walls for «Nominated for Best Japanese Restaurant in the Bay.» Really? nominated by who?
We decided to check this place out for the hell of it along our way home and was feeling. MEH at the end of the meal. I won’t be coming back here. That’s for sure.
Service: They only had 2 waitresses for the whole entire restaurant. One mainly for drinks and cleaning tables. and the other nice friendly japanese lady who takes orders, that kept on saying «HAI. HAI» to everything that you ask/​say to her. That was kind of cute i must admit. They need to hire more workers because it is impossible for those 2 to work all these tables. It makes it SLOWER. They kept forgetting everything that we just asked for. Their dishes all look different, nothing unified. They would bring out one sake cup, and not for 2. They forgot the pen for us to write our bill.
Drinks: we got a chilled sake large bottle. They served us the small one instead of large. So that was another complaint. I felt like I just ordered sake bottle service, since it came in a ice bucket for «chilled» sake. :P
Food: no miso soup
1. Hamachi Kama– VERY small order but not too shaby at all. Buttery and cooked just right.
2. Lion King Roll– Salmon was very dry and rice firmly packed. It was not that great but at least edible. Not moisture or sauce to a supposedly Lion King Roll!!!
3. Submarine Roll– The best roll out of the 2 that we ordered. The sauce helped the dryness to the roll.
Like I said… How is this place nominated as one of the best japanese restaurants!!!

If you must really have privacy, this is the place to go. On a weekday at noon, we were one of the two groups dining here. The place was dead quiet, which was great for us girls. We could chat forever knowing that we had almost the entire space to ourselves!
FOOD: We ordered different lunch bentos that mainly consisted of teriyaki chicken, tempura, sashimi and rolls, etc. — very standard items with little to no creativity. There’s nothing memorable to write home about, really… The food was better than what we had barely finished at Yakko Japanese Restaurant, but I guess for real Japanese cuisine, we needed to join the crowds lining up at the doors of Kappo Nami Nami or Sushi Tomi.
AMBIANCE & SERVICE: The restaurant is pretty spacious, and again, I’ve never seen people having to wait for a table here so it’s good for immediate and quiet seating. Service was excellent. Our waitress was more attentive than expected. (Well, she only had two tables to serve.)
SUM: Not the worst, but not even close to being the best Japanese restaurant in downtown Mounatin View.

I was craving some sushi so we went to Tsunami on a Wednesday night.
The bF and I ate:
–Gyu Hireyaki appetizer (very small portion and dry. won’t get this again)
–Spicy Tuna Handroll (lots of Tuna, perfectly spicy)
–Shrimpt Tempura Handroll (felt like all I got was batter, where’s the fish yo?)
–Philadelphia Roll (I’m not a fan of cream cheese in my sushi but bF said it was good. Rolls looked small to me)
–Rainbow Roll (the sashi was fresh. Again the rolls were kind of small)
–Kamikaze Hamachi Roll (eh, I could have done without this. absolutely nothing special)
–Spicy Scallop Roll (again, on the small side, but the scallops were good)
–2 large hot sakes (yum!)
Pros:
Nice Ambiance
SUPER friendly supers (the lady was so Japanese!)
fresh fish
Cons:
very small portions
lack of variety/​specialty rolls
pricy
I probably won’t come back here again as I can get plenty of my sushi fix elsewhere with more options and at a cheaper price.