Oku is a fantastic beachside sushi restaurant with modern decor and great service. My friend and I came here on our first night in town and it definitely exceeded expectations. The restaurant is super busy but that didn't alter the service at all. We got our food in a timely manner and everything was delicious. Would highly recommend the miso soup! Pro tip: sit upstairs if you can for ocean views

I've heard good things about this place which also we would always see when we walked passed by. The hours are normally dinner only so that never gave us a chance to try it out. Well, it was a friend's birthday and that's where she wanted to have her dinner. First off, they need to improve on their phone skills. As in returning calls. Leaving messages and not getting a reply, that's just in poor taste when you have people trying to get in to your facility... Besides that, the whole experience was great. The only way we got a got a hold of someone was by walking in. We were told that they could seat us at 9pm for our group. We had a decent size group, 10 of us. But instead, they got us in a little earlier. Don't know if it was short staff or they just don't want to utilize that extra room. Which they sat us in the little room off the main dining area. The whole night, it was just us in that area. Julian who took care of us was great. Service was excellent and made the night more pleasant. Very friendly and sweet. Menu wise, cocktails were excellent. Lychee martini was hit for everyone. We opted for a few rolls, appetizers and some sushi. The ramen was quite nice as well. Also, the yellowtail collar was pretty tasty. Decent size portion and the meat was flakey and cooked well. The sushi lollipop I believe was pretty nice. Throughout the evening, we just added on more and more things. Finishing off, they brought out some mochi for the birthday group. With the large group, gratuity was added on already which was fine. Overall, service was nice. Julian was excellent and everyone that came to our table to drop off food was sweet as well. The meal was excellent. The only thing, work on replying back to people when they're leaving messages and trying ti get in. Overall, we enjoyed ourselves.

MOST of the time us Yelpers being our reviews with our experience with the food. On this occasion I want to start by commending the STAFF at Okun.Their attention to customer service is unmatchable. From the moment we walked in our server welcomed us with a big HONEST smile! (in the world of customer service a SMILE is worth mentioning) Our server, was attentive, relatable, knowledgeable, fast, accurate, PRESENTABLE, engaging ... the list is endless! If you take a moment to view my photos, the pictures reflect more than words can say. As we devour all our food, leaving empty plates, as each item we feasted on tasted to perfection. The restaurnat faces the beach, it is clean, modern and meticulously curated representing an upscale sushi restaurant. Looking forward to my next visit to Santa Barbara, Oku is a favorite!!

Every time I come to Santa Barbara I make a point to come here. The fish is good quality and the atmosphere is upscale by the ocean. I normally stay away from restaurants with nice views as they don't usually have to have good food to get business. The cauliflower is my favorite dish, crunchy and sweet. The rolls are great too. We got the way if the dragon roll and flying newton and vegetarian rainbow roll. All were great but my only complaint was the rainbow role had a vinegarette that was a bit too bitter. It's mostly on the side though. Yellowtail sashimi with ponzu was another favorite. Check it out!

Everything was super scrumptiously delicious. You can feel the ocean breeze if you sit in the patio and watch the cars go by. Service was pretty good even though for some reason it took awhile to get anything at first. We had the crispy Korean cauliflower and the Saigon wings to start off and let me tell you ...both choices were amazing! The cauliflower are little bites that just melt in your mouth and the wings were perfectly spiced. We also had the sashimi tacos which were also delectable and we ended with some rolls that didn't disappoint. Writing this review is making my mouth water just thinking of the food.

Ideally I'd give this place 3.5 stars! We had our anniversary dinner here after so many of our friends recommended it. We had a reservation for Saturday 7pm on the patio, and at that point it was too dark to see the ocean but it's still a cute restaurant! Seemed a little more casual than I anticipated, some customers showed up in pajama pants. It was really busy so our server didn't check up on us often, but nothing to complain about. We ordered a couple rolls (I forgot their names sorry), Toro nigiri and uni nigiri. The uni was definitely the highlight, we ordered extra. It was so fresh and sweet, the best we've ever had. My boyfriend and I love splurging a little bit on good sushi, and this place was reasonably priced.

Wowow. Everything was so delicious and fresh. Sarah was such a friendly and helpful waitress, we loved her! The restaurant has a large sake list, we also enjoyed the Lychee Martini. Food wise- every thing we got was great. If you like crispy rice- highly recommend. We got 3 rolls and could t decide which was the best, I think you really can't go wrong! We liked everything so much that we back before our car ride home to get some food to go. Make sure to stop here when in the Funk Zone!

My boyfriend and I had a lovely experience at Oku! We came for dinner on a Saturday night and were lucky there was no wait. Nice ambiance for an intimate date and excellent service. We started with the red lily cocktails which were delicious and strong. Food-wise, we ordered the otoro sashimi, the Crazy Rich Asians roll, the Everybody Loves Raymond roll, and some uni spoons. The otoro was immaculate! So buttery it just melts in your mouth. The rolls were unique and flavorful. Santa Barbara's uni is also so creamy and sweet; very fun to enjoy in the spoons they serve them in with some ponzu!