Yoichi's

Absolutely amazing multi-course dinner. Went for my husband’s birthday. Every course was explained by the chef, absolutely exquisite. I have a shellfish allergy and the chef accommodated me and altered 2 courses for me specifically. Amazing food. Amazing service. Amazing experience. We will return to this place.

First time we had this 7 course meal and it was impressive. I agree with another reviewer about the variance of the quality of materials used inthe meals, but for a Kaiseki course this is about the right price for the quality. The best qualities are the sashimi, the uni (from Santa Barbara and Hokkaido) were wonderful, the mackerel was fatty and the best mackerel I've had. The cod soup is great as the black cod itself was very flavorful. For the grilled dish I had Salmon and it was the best choice out of the 3, the salmon was grilled to perfection with some marinate that gave it an extra kick. For the steam dish the oyster bowl was awesome, the sauce absorbed both the taste of the mandarin bowl and oyster, and as you get deeper the mandarin flavor strengthened, I loved it! The eel and monkfish liver was ok, the eel is exactly what you'd expect, and the liver was not too fatty and had decent flavor and not too strong. Now the less impressive are the wagyu, both the appetizer and the grilled version did not impress, it was dry and hard, and the grilled one was well done which did not help. The dessert was strawberry and blueberry mochis, which I thought could be fancier. Kaiseki is definitely an experience though, and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Each coarse delivered made me reevaluate what my taste buds and what I thought was good food. It was all great, in particular the wagyu on sesame sauce. Very happy with the selection there. Each course had something special from the ultra soft tofu in fish sauce and steamed lotus root to the AMAZING sashimi, in particular the Striped Jack (Shima-Aji) and to the very satisfying blend of fruit, red bean and cinnamon in the dessert! Highly recommend and very happy for my first ever Kaiseki experience

Very good, but there are better choices for ~ $160/person (all included). The sashimi was some of the best I've ever had. The wagyu, duck and crab could be better. The eel with monkfish liver pate was good but for the price I expected more complexity. The servers were kind and knew the dishes and sake very well, but at times were too busy to be adequately attentive. Excellent choices of sake - maybe the highlight of my visit along with the sashimi. The ambience was very serene, calm and understated. Attire smart casual or smart. Good for a date, but there are better choices (e.g. El Encanto)

Yoichi's is one of the best restaurants I've had the privilege of dining at in the United States and I say this as someone who dines at AAA 5-Diamond and Michelin-starred restaurants regularly. My initial meal here was so good that I went back a second time the very next week. Flat rate of $100 for a 7-course Kaiseki dinner. Kaiseki originated in the 16th century as a Japanese tea ceremony. Here, it features seasonal cuisine, a mixture of sushi, grilled plates, boiled plates, and (of course) dessert. You do get a few choices on menu options. I highly recommend the Kamo no Yuanyaki (Sweet Soy Sauce Marinated Grilled Duck Breast), the Kinki no Nitsuke (Japanese Rock Fish Simmered in Sweet Broth), and the Hamaguri Shinjo Sumashijatate (Clear soup with Hamaguri clam fish cake). Also I suggest the Denshin Natsu (Junmai Daiginjo Namazake), a seasonal sake, and one of my favorites I've had either in or out of Japan. This is THE place to eat if you visit Santa Barbara. Don't think twice about it, put yourself in this restaurant's capable hands and prepare to have your mind blown.