We came in on a Wednesday evening around 7 without a reservation. They were full at that time but we were able to put our names in for 8:15. We had the uni, sushi special, pacific rim specialty roll, and pretty in pink specialty roll. Everything was delicious and the service was great. They even had one non-alcoholic beer on the menu for me but unfortunately they were sold out on that.

I ordered all nigiri; ika, toro, otoro and salmon fresh and for dessert, fresh local strawberries with San Marcos Farms Wild Flower Honey. I got lucky, I was a walk in and they had a table available which was perfect, downside it was in the second floor which I didn’t enjoy but the atmosphere in the first floor either outside or inside was amazing. I gave 5 stars to atmosphere because is not their fault I didn’t reserve ahead to get a great table. I definitely recommend the first floor to eat if you want to have a comfortable and open experience, unless you enjoy private kid of close upstairs. Food: ika was really good it was squid with mint and rice. It was an amazing experience I never had before with squid, only downside the squid was very thin for my taste. Toro or otoro, unfortunately they both came in the same plate and I was never able to confirm which one was which. But one of them was AMAZING, it dissolve in my tongue perfectly, the other had like a layer of tough sinew which was not enjoyable and very hard to chew. The salmon had the same tough sinew , was very thin and had for my taste a lil too much of wasabi in it. The strawberries were really good, I’m lactose intolerant and I have said it before in my reviews it was so nice to have a dairy free option in the menu for a change. The strawberries had honey and a mint, if you take a small bit of mint and then eat strawberry, WOW. It was my first time doing that and it was a perfect combination. I loved it. I gave a 4 stars to the food because of the thin layer in some of the nigiri and the tough sinew. Overall I recommend anyone to try it. Everyone’s tastes and experiences varies.

I’m a local that won’t be trying this place again. Tonight we wanted to do a fun family women holiday dinner. We went to ARIGATO. The last time we tried this, in the summer, they didn’t take reservations and had a long waitlist. ‘Can’t seat you until after 8 pm.’ So we went to Ca'Dario. Amazing dinner: We arrived tonight at Arigato at 6 pm, on a rainy night. It was not overly busy. ‘Do you have reservations?’ Oh… when did you start taking those? They said they could not seat us until after 8 pm. I’m feeling a pattern here… We looked at the full staff and empty tables… …and again went to CaDario. My daughter mentioned a friend that worked at Arigato quit because the operations management was so bad. They’d schedule her for a shift, send her home because it was slow, call her back in 2 hours later, or ask her to work last-minute on her day off. I don’t think restaurant failure in Santa Barbara can all be chalked up to rats under parklets and homelessness, though these make for easy political targets. Nor do I believe that ‘nobody wants to work anymore.’ Sometimes, it’s really just poor management. CaDario was amazing as always, perfect for a rainy night, with impeccable service. Highly recommend it. Won’t be attempting to visit Arigato again.

For me it is one of the best places in SB to eat sushi, the location is great because you get the State St vibe and get great food. If you plan to have dinner I would recommend making a reservation because it can sometimes be crowded. I loved the pan seared scallops, the ahi and asparagus roll. If you like nigiris be sure to try the yuzu pepper tai, the seared hamachi, the serrano kampachi and the grilled shiitake. Overall, I would totally recommend going here.

Everything was great all-around. The nigiri, although they were out of a few things, was excellent - especially the specialty nigiri…the seared hotate (pictured) was my favorite and the softest scallop I’ve ever had. The service provided went above and beyond. With a lot of sushi restaurants around, and a decent amount of them being good at what they do, the ones that stand out are consistent with all their fish and provide exceptional service. Shout out to the manager, Darrell, and my server for making the experience special

We are long time customers. The food will not disappoint. We were always greeted by the old lady that was very friendly but this time with a man with thick black glasses who has the worst attitude as the front desk ever. We booked at 8:30pm and he called at 8:00 and asked if we were still coming(in a very rude manner). When we were there he has the coldest face. Almost like if he doesn’t want to do his job. Lost most of our appetite. But we still ended up spending 100+ per person. To arigato sushi: we will never come back ever again. This glasses guy just loses you a long time customer. When we don’t feel welcomed we don’t ever comeback. We value hospitality more than the food.

Came here for a special occasion and was not disappointed. We sat in the smaller upper balcony, and was nice and quiet compared to downstairs. It was quite a busy weekend night so it took a while for our server to come back around to us. Once he was here he was very attentive and helpful. We mainly ordered sashimi and sushi, without any specialty rolls, and the quality and taste of the fish was great. Hand rolls were delicious.

We first tried Arigato sushi when they were at the old location, a little hole in the wall off State Street. They are so much better now and we go every time we visit SB. - Tuna carpaccio. I love this dish. So refreshing. Fresh tuna with yuzu sauce, grape tomatoes, and side garnishes. Delicious. - Hamachi carpaccio with warm EVOO. Really good, buttery and smooth. - California rolls. Good real crab. Perfect thin layer of rice. Awesome. -Snake roll. Good eel. Flavor blended together nicely. -U10 seared scallops. Buttery, soft, melt in your mouth. Perfect. -Engawa nigiri. Awesome. -Yuzu tai nigiri. Good. Crunchy and refreshing. -serrano kampachi. Meh. Not that great. Skip this. All in all just as awesome as ever. Well, way better than when we were cheap students.

The best sushi on the west coast. So fresh and tasty. Everything was good. We had a couple gold shots, locals only, and several others that I'll have to look up and update my review with later. I tried to take photos but some plates didn't photograph well. Only complaint would be the server we had took a while to get back to us when my boyfriend needed new chopsticks so I fed him with mine or he used his fingers.

Our first time in Santa Barbara and we found this place on yelp, so we decided to give it a try. This place is delicious! We ordered a couple things: Garlic Soy Edamame: really good! At first it tasted burnt , but that was for the ones with less marinade. The ones that were marinated tasted delicious! A little pricey for what it was though ($7) Popcorn Shrimp: Delicious!!!! It was a small/medium portion, but it was so good. It came with a spicy mayo and pesto base on bottom. I would definitely order this again! Pacific Oysters: sweet and fresh! It was the perfect size and it was flavorful. Really good. We got some of the rolls that were really delicious. The fish was SO fresh on each roll, and I liked that some of the rolls had smoked salmon. It was great! Also, I'm not 100% positive but I believe they use real crab instead of imitation crab. It tasted different but it was amazing, fresh, and came out quickly. We sat at the counter and Ken (our sushi chef) was amazing!!! He was so kind and he made the experience even better. He had many recommendations for us which we really appreciated. We usually don't prefer sitting at the counters but he was so kind, I'm glad we did! And it was nice to watch him make everything. We would definitely come back in the future and would definitely recommend this place!

Amazing sushi. Extensive options, very fresh and the staff are quick and fantastic! It’s usually very busy so make reservations.

Extremely disappointing. The miso “soup” tasted like toilet water or leftover dish water. The California roll with crab tasted horrible. Didn’t love the albacore either but not terrible just not good. The salmon nigiri was the only good item. Staff was nice and they’re great about calling when the orders are ready for take out. I don’t think it was a coincidence that I was very sick GI after eating this meal. Wouldn’t return nor recommend.

Cute spot. Then menu was wayyyy to long though. Too many things and no fried rice? Fish was ok….. the ginger dressing was amazing. Bar was pretty. Food was fresh. Kid friendly. Avocado was fresh. Asparagus was ok

The fish was some of the freshest I've ever tasted. Just superb , has great wait staff . Again the sushi was great

This restaurant came highly recommended by the concierge in our hotel. It did not disappoint in taste but portions were definitely too small for what we are used to. I would have given another star of the portions were proportionate to the cost of each dish. We ordered a variety of rolls, sashimi and the soft shell crab was my fave.

Delicious, yet pricey Japanese restaurant located in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara. Everything we ordered was made with fresh ingredients. Soft and buttery pieces of fish with the nagiri felt like they melted in my mouth and the sushi was exquisite.

We had a great meal with excellent service but everything was quite overpriced. Also, I chose for us to sit in the back outdoor patio and regretted it. Very cramped and claustrophobic feeling, wish I would have chosen to sit up front or in the front outdoor patio.

Very good sushi, we just ordered a few rolls pm to share and all of them were very good, balanced and tasty. The service was just average and we were sitting outside. As was spected the price is quite elevated, but if it's sushi you crave you know you'll have to spend big and don't go with a lot of hunger.

“Swinging roll” is brilliant. I’ve altered rolls at various restaurants to achieve this combination, but nothing beats Arigato. Their ambiance alone- a reason to visit. But let’s top it off. They’re patient, detailed and artistic in craft. Staff is incredibly professional and welcoming. And lastly, I love waking into a restaurant to see a clean, open kitchen. Every time I’m out of town, I miss this place. Dates, impressing friends, solo nights and take out. I’ll go here.