Tabu Sushi Bar & Grill

We came here for the first time. Our server, Taylor was great. Our sushi chef was great. And the fresh fish was awesome. I recommend this place to everyone. The atmosphere was so nice overall as well. The rolls were awesome. The rice was cooked to sushi standards. And I’m very picky on my rice. So glad we came here.

Taylor and the rest of the crew is awesome, prompt and amazing service. The sushi is… let’s just say you have to taste it to believe it. The entire staff is simply awesome. Thank you Tabu for making out date night so special. We will be back, soon!

Went on a Thursday, and place was packed with people waiting to be seated, place is pretty good. Extensive list of Rolls, something for everyone. I only have 2 complaints about this place, otherwise they would have gotten 5 stars. 1^st-​I tried to get my drink refilled during my entire meal, but the wait staff was too busy. 2^nd– I don’t like white meat for my chicken teriyaki, would prefer dark meat, more tender and moist! Good job though.

First off, I’m willing to come back and try Tabu again as this was a quick lunch order for pickup. I called and specifically asked if they have lunch specials. Got a «yes» and proceeded to order a chicken teriyaki bowl.
Place had a decent amount of people having lunch. Staff gave me the check then my order. When I questioned my check and asked for the drink that was supposed to come with the lunch special, I was told that the chicken teriyaki bowl was not a lunch special… Read my tip below about their changing lunch specials.
The chicken teriyaki bowl was pretty average. Chicken was tender, but I would have liked a sweeter sauce and a greater chicken to rice ratio. Hopefully their sushi’s better.

Extensive menu! There will always be something new to try! Took some time for us to decide what to order but settled for bento boxes (beef and chicken teriyaki) and noodle soups (udon and ramen). Must try: onion soup! Salty and satisfying.
It wasn’t busy when we came in so the service was fast. The place looks fairly new and spacious, set-​up more like a sports bar than a typical Japanese restaurant.

For some reason my last review was taken down. I felt that I gave a detailed description of my experience. I shall now try again:
This place has the potential to be great. However, inconsistency seems to be a big issue here. I ordered the same roll on 3 different occasions because the first time I had it, it was really good. The next 2 times it was made with different ingredients. Same roll, 3 times, 3 sets of ingredients.
We tried the calamari & in my opinion it tasted like something you would get from the frozen food section of the supermarket. It was hard, chewy & didn’t taste fresh.
Like I said in my previous review. This place has potential but has yet to impress.

If you haven’t tried Tabu, you’re missing out on a great sushi place in San Marcos. The fish was great — had uni, sashimi combo, and lemon/​cilantro/​siracha salmon roll. All were tasty and the sashimi was good sized, not too thick, and served at the right temperature (all things I’ve found can be screwed up at other places making the fish not taste or feel great in your mouth).
I asked the server if they had fresh wasabi (not on the menu) — and they did! If you’re never had fresh wasabi, you have to try it. It’s like having a fresh herb on your sushi vs having a prepared/​concocted paste.
As for the atmosphere, this place is a cross between a restaurant and a sports bar. The booth we were in was comfortable. I don’t mind that there is a bar with TV’s hanging on the walls as others have mentioned, but if you’re looking for a quiet dining experience, this wouldn’t be the place to go. The service was great and the staff were friendly and helpful.

I love all the food here! Especially the lemon cilantro roll :) it’s a must try!
Staff is very accommodating and attentive! I don’t like cream cheese but they were able to customize all my rolls for me!
Good happy hour, 3 – 7 everyday! $ 4 beers
Show time roll is another really good one

I was excited to eat here as it has such great reviews. The inside appeared nice but I did not see one Japanese employee and the sushi chefs were definitely not what you would see in a normal sushi restaurant. I still continued to sit down as I was willing to give it a shot.
They offer happy hour from 3−7pm, you’d would expect a deal during that time but the 2 apps I ordered were the same price as the regular menu. I asked what is the benefit of ordering off the happy hour menu and our waitress did not know.
We ordered a seafood salad $ 15 and a Teka Don $ 15 (sashimi tuna over rice) for our entrees. The Teka Don looked good but my husband ended up pulling out a dark black hair from the middle of his rice. My sashimi salad was on a large plate but very flat and minimal assortment of fish. If I were to guess how much fish maybe 8 thinly sliced sashimi strips (we’re are talking as thin as a straw).
Overall we are disappointed. Service was average and the food (portion and quality) was not worth the money spent. We wish we could get our $ 60 back. My family will not be returning to this establishment.

My server was pretty accommodating. I asked her to check what kind of knives their sushi chefs used and she complied– even writing down the names of the knives for me so I could look them up later. I realize that it was an odd request, but I’m truly grateful she went out of her way to do that– considering I was looking for another reliable quality knife. Enough of that
The sushi was good. The miso soup was alright. They ran out of green tea mochi– but when I show up not long before the place closed– I completely understand
Go in… Give this place a chance.

The food was good but a little pricy for the quality. I did enjoy the $ 1 Saki shots. It’s kind of a hipster place. Being next to Cal State I guess it’s in a good place. The servers were nice and accommodating.

I came here to meet some friends who found this place thanks to Unilocal.They liked it and invited me along the next time they went. I’m kind of a sushi loyalist (or snob if you like) and stick to my places that I like so I went in here with some reservations.
I got there after my friends (as usual) and they were already seated when I arrived. There were people waiting for tables when I arrived and that stayed consistent the entire time we were there.
Out waitress whose name i didn’t get was exceptional and was on it in all facets. This doesn’t seem to matter as much since watching the staff ALL of them are really good at what they do!
First things first. Take your time with the menu, there’s a lot to take in and you don’t want to miss anything. I decided to make a pig of myself (see my photos) and get three rolls (My friends, a married couple, also got three) so there was PLENTY of food on the table. My picks were the Spicy Tuna Roll (a go to anywhere) the Oh Baby Roll and the Phil Me Up Roll. Now if any of you have read my sushi reviews you know that I wrap all my stuff in soy paper because Nori is nasty.
The Spicy Tuna: Lots of kick and lots of tuna. Some cucumber and in typical fashion for this roll that’s about it. I liked it a lot and will order this again when i come back.
The Oh Baby Roll: Spicy yellowtail, spicy albacore W/​jalapeño, cilantro, and cucumber. Damn good!
The Phil Me Up Roll: Inside — Spicy tuna, avocado, cream cheese, shrimp tempura with SALMON on top. Not liking salmon I subbed fresh tuna for the top (at no extra charge) and this was phenomenal. This will be ordered every time i come here.
My friends got the:
Bubba Gump Roll: Inside: Spicy crab, shrimp tempura. On top: Avocado, shrimp ebi, sautéed shrimp with squeezed lemon and chili powder. No rice on this roll all fish/​shrimp. Pretty darn good (I stole a piece)
Crunchy Roll: Inside: shrimp tempura, crab meat, Avocado, cucumber. On top: tempura crumbs, spicy mayo and eel sauce. This may have been my favorite roll of the night. I WILL get this one again!
Rudy Roll: Inside: Spicy crab, cucumber, avocado On top: Seared albacore, cilantro, jalapeño and fresh ginger with a citrus soy sauce. This one I didn’t ge to try because they wolfed it down before I could get my chopsticks on any of it which leads me to believe it was good too! All that plus two kids meals for $ 81.
BARGAIN!!!
Oh, and at the tops of the hour they have 2 for $ saki shots so we couldn’t pass that up!
I was impressed at the whole operation and would be more than happy to return here any time.
If I had one critique it would be that the rolls come out bunched up. I would like to see then come out one at a time so I can nibble and enjoy a little before the next one arrives. Just my preference and it may not be yours.
Great fresh fish, reasonable prices and fantastic service. NAILED IT!

On Wednesdays, we eat.
That’s the truth. A couple of friends and I wanted to eat before our anthro class. However since we didn’t have as much time as previous lunch trips, we decided to try Tabu since it’s right across the street from school.
The place is clean, which is to be expected since it’s relatively new. We sat ourselves, and did anyone else think the booths were squishy? I’m not complaining by any means! They were pretty comfortable.
We ordered our drinks and food at the same time. I ordered the calamari and the teriyaki salmon bowl (minus veggies) with miso soup. I don’t remember everything my friends ordered but I know a few: lemon cilantro rolls, gyoza, and a beef teriyaki bowl.
The 1^st set of rolls and sushi arrived first and my friends seemed extremely pleased with them.
I got my calamari next. They were pretty good! I was expecting small pieces but they were big! It came with spicy mayo too, but I didn’t try it. However my friend tried it and said it was good.
My salmon teriyaki bowl was excellent! YUM! It was the perfect size for lunch. And the teriyaki sauce was amazing. It was a bit salty, but nothing a little more rice can’t fix. It was also pretty thick, but it stays really well on the salmon. And it doesn’t drench the rice!
My friend and I, who ordered the teriyaki beef bowl, didn’t get our miso soup with our meal. At other places it usually comes out at the same time or even a little before. But we were well into eating our food (around half the bowl) and had yet to receive it. We let our waitress know and she seemed to have forgot. When we finally got our soup, I was rather disappointed. My miso soup wasn’t hot, it was luke warm. I found myself trying to eat/​drink the soup as quick as possible to get whatever heat was left.
The only small issue I had was our waitress. She seemed a bit flustered/​forgetful. My friend ordered 2 rolls and she only got one. Turns out our waitress forgot about her order. And again, our miso soups were forgotten about (which is why it is not in the photo). She did apologize a few times and was very nice, so I’m not upset or anything.
I would definitely come back to Tabu! I mean, location wise, it couldn’t be more convenient.

I figured I’d give this place a try even if I’m stuck on another sushi place. We came in on a Wednesday but surprisingly it was busy. The sushi prices aren’t priced too bad and the portions are decent. My problem just seemed to come with the service and prices of their drinks.
It took over 30 minutes for us to get our food. It was decently filled but by no means would warrant a 30 minute wait for food. We had a couple of servers bouncing around and one that was kind of ours but it was confusing as to who was actually taking our food and making sure it got to us. Then there was the drink issue. I just like to get a Nigori every time I grab some sushi. Most places I go to charge $ 10 or so. There wasn’t a drink menu at the table and I’m sure I should’ve asked but assumed it would be the same. It was unfortunately $ 18 and I guess for that high of a price it would have been better if the server confirmed I was fine with the price, since that’s usually how it works.
Overall, it was a decent place. The sushi was good and fresh but it is by a college campus so it does get really loud in there. I personally don’t think I’ll be back though.

We came here for a quick dinner on a Sunday evening. The restaurant is really nice and lots of space. We decided to dine over at the sushi bar. We felt like having a couple of rolls since those seem to be filling. We ordered a philly roll and a rainbow roll with lemon slices on top.
I have to say they have a very extensive menu. You can spend 10 – 15 mins just perusing everything that is offered. It’s a good thing and bad… Good — Great selection! Bad — you keep looking and looking and looking.
The staff is nice but seemed as though there were too much staff. Perhaps they were expecting an influx of customers on a Sunday night after 8pm. The restaurant has lots of TVs which make it a great place to watch sports. The bad thing is that noise echos throughout and you can pretty much hear people convos and can get super loud. It was a bit distracting since we sat at the sushi bar and the staff had a lot of personal convos behind the counter and we can hear everything. So if you’re on a date, we suggest you request a booth to avoid this.
The portion was great and I wasn’t charged for the lemon slices! WHOO HOO!!! Great addition to the San Marcos area.

I am a fan of this new spot especially because it is so close to home. I can walk here if I wanted to… especially for a night of sake shots! They have a decent happy hour with sales on different dishes and alcoholic beverages.
The baked green mussels are delicious. Try them when they are on the happy hour special (4−7pm I believe). They are pretty easy to eat. I wish it came with more than just two mussels though.
They have a wide variety of rolls. It can be overwhelming reading through the ingredients in each one. I stick to my usual Crunchy Roll, Rainbow Roll. It was nothing out of the ordinary, but I wasn’t expecting it to be. It tastes just how I like it.
It can get pretty busy on Friday nights, so expect to wait a bit for your food. The bartender is great and sitting at the bar is also a great option if the house is packed. Don’t forget sake hour!
Pricing is ok. Expect to pay $ 25 – 30 per person if you want a filling meal. It is a little higher than I expect to pay at a sushi spot but the atmosphere makes up for it. I’ve seen tons of large groups coming in, especially families with small children. You’d have to come in early if you would need that accommodation or call ahead. Like I said, it may take a while to get your food if the place is packed.

I am not a sushi eater so my wife was very suprised when I offered to take her to Tabu Sushi for a Sunday dinner. I found Tabu on Groupon during a 20% off promo. It was well reviewed on Unilocal and had non-​sushi options for myself. We arrived around 4pm on Sunday during their daily happy hour. Our server mentioned the happy hour specials going on when I mentioned that we were using a Groupon. The server checked with her manager and said the Groupon would work with happy hour which was cool.
My wife started off with a glass of house wine and we shared some edamame. For her entrée she ordered the Electric Shock Roll while I went with the Teriyaki Chicken bowl. The chicken bowl included mushrooms and a few pieces of broccoli and white rice. Portion size is very good for $ 7.50. As for the taste I would have preferred more seasoning. My wife enjoyed her shock roll and would eat it again. She appreciated that they offered protein style rolls without rice.
We had a few bucks left to spend so we went with the chocolate cake and ice cream to finish our meal. Both of us were quite full by the end of the meal. Our service was good and price was reasonable with the Groupon and tip. Be sure to ask about combining Groupon with happy hour specials as that policy may differ. Tabu also offers weekday lunch specials to save some money. My wife said she would come back. Not a bad place to eat at if you or your significant other likes Sushi.

Delicious food and modern and hip décor! I can see how this joint can be the new Love Boat. Prices are more than a small family owned restaurant, at least $ 25 per person if you want to be full. We went on a Saturday night and it wasn’t too bustling, maybe not many people know about this place yet.
They served nice food but nothing really stood out. For the price I don’t think it can keep me coming back.
Agedashi tofu delivered good flavors but the tofu pieces were too big. They had to break apart when I ate it. Their spicy mango roll was amazing! Really good combo of flavors! The tikaka roll was just a regular tuna roll.
The baked mussels were served with avocado slices and topped with white sesame seeds, which was a brilliant idea as it delivered full and rich flavors.
Overall it’s a decent restaurant but I’d hate to say I am not hooked. There are other options with similar quality around the area for lower prices and I might just opt for those instead.
If you haven’t been, it’s good to try this out!!!

Sigh, I gave them another shot but sadly I won’t be returning.
We dined in this time and while the servers were friendly, many things about our order was wrong.
for starters, our order was taken quickly but then… well, you be the judge.
My husband ordered his teriyaki steak bowl without mushrooms. Guess what was in it? Mushrooms.
I ordered the hibachi scallops and one roll. I wanted them both brought out at the same time– even though the scallops were an appetizer. Guess what happened? Yup, the scallops were brought out first. Maybe it’s a good thing that happened because my one roll took over 30 minutes to come out. I’m pretty sure the server forgot to put the order in, then the sushi chef was backed up, then the manager said the chef had to make a special sauce since he ran out… and gave us a five dollars credit on the roll. Whatever it was, I was about to eat the table.
They did have Mother Earth on tap, so a slightly redeeming point.
Sorry guys! Tried you twice… won’t be back. :(

This place just opened and has a few bugs to work out but we will definitely be back!
Service: was very attentive, food came out quickly. It seemed like they may have had just a few too many servers there tonight for the size of the place, it was a little strange to see servers walking around not really doing anything, I think there were 3 – 4 bartenders and no one sitting at the bar, but I’m sure these are kinks that will be worked out
Food: was excellent, prices were competitive to places in the area and the rolls over all were excellent. The Gyoza was a little more on the greasy side than I like but that means they are pan fried and not steamed like most places :) my friend has a rainbow roll and wasn’t really please with the inside, the crab meat seemed on the spicy side to he and it did have a darker color than the inside of my crunchy roll. Over all we were pleased with everything
Drinks: here is the real kicker, we lover heir beer selection! This place is great at keeping local beers on tap, any where that serves a beaching beaver peanut butter stout on tap is a go to for me.
Over all this place will definitely be added to our rotation for nights out, it’s so nice to have a wonderful place to get a light meal and a good drink within walking distance of our house.