Highest-rated sushi restaurants in the Santa Cruz area by diners

Sushi first started gaining popularity in the United States in the 1960s, when a restaurant called Kawafuku opened in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo neighborhood. The restaurant's sushi bar was frequented by Japanese businessmen, who'd bring their American coworkers for a meal. Eventually, sushi restaurants started cropping up in other Californian cities, like Osho, which opened in 1970, next to the 20th Century Fox studio in Hollywood, attracting big-name producers, directors, and actors. Soon, the cuisine came to New York and Chicago; by the late 1980s, it was a full-on dining craze. According to industry marketing research company IBISWorld, as of 2024, there were nearly 17,000 sushi restaurants in the country.

Whether you're looking for an affordable bento box for lunch or a fine-dining experience for date night, Stacker has you covered—this list of the highest-rated sushi restaurants in the Santa Cruz area on Yelp will help guide you to the right roll. Data is as of July 7, 2025. Businesses under the category "sushi" were selected using Yelp's ranking system, which calculates an adjusted rating value that takes into account the number of ratings as well as the rating score itself. Only businesses with at least 20 reviews, and within a 10-kilometer radius of Santa Cruz, were considered. Also, in an effort to highlight independent businesses and local chains, those with at least 10 locations nationally (based on our analysis of Yelp data) were not included.

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Sushi Mori

1 / 21

#21. Sushi Mori

- Rating: 2.9/5 (63 reviews)
- Address: 429 Front St. Santacruz, California
- Categories: Sushi Bars
- Read more on Yelp

Mobo Sushi

2 / 21

#20. Mobo Sushi

- Rating: 3.3/5 (711 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 105 South River St. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Japanese, Sushi Bars
- Read more on Yelp

Sushi Totoro

3 / 21

#19. Sushi Totoro

- Rating: 3.4/5 (490 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1701 Mission St. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Japanese, Sushi Bars
- Read more on Yelp

MG Sushi

4 / 21

#18. MG Sushi

- Rating: 3.4/5 (211 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1733 Seabright Ave. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Sushi Bars, Japanese, Vegan
- Read more on Yelp

Geisha

5 / 21

#17. Geisha

- Rating: 3.6/5 (386 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 200 Monterey Ave. Ste 3 Capitola, California
- Categories: Japanese, Sushi Bars
- Read more on Yelp

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Ramen Kaito

6 / 21

#16. Ramen Kaito

- Rating: 3.7/5 (366 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1855 41st Ave. Ste R06 Food Court In The Capitola Mall Capitola, California
- Categories: Sushi Bars, Ramen
- Read more on Yelp

Sushi Garden - Aptos

7 / 21

#15. Sushi Garden - Aptos

- Rating: 3.7/5 (115 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 38 Rancho Del Mar Aptos, California
- Categories: Sushi Bars, Japanese
- Read more on Yelp

Shogun Japanese Restaurant

8 / 21

#14. Shogun Japanese Restaurant

- Rating: 3.7/5 (564 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1123 Pacific Ave. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Japanese, Sushi Bars
- Read more on Yelp

Akira Aptos

9 / 21

#13. Akira Aptos

- Rating: 3.7/5 (291 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 105 D Post Office Drive Aptos, California
- Categories: Sushi Bars, Japanese, Asian Fusion
- Read more on Yelp

Toya Sushi

10 / 21

#12. Toya Sushi

- Rating: 3.8/5 (146 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1306 Mission St. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Sushi Bars
- Read more on Yelp

Sushi Garden

11 / 21

#11. Sushi Garden

- Rating: 3.8/5 (520 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 820 Bay Ave. Ste 148 Capitola, California
- Categories: Sushi Bars, Japanese
- Read more on Yelp

Daisuki Octagon Sushi

12 / 21

#10. Daisuki Octagon Sushi

- Rating: 3.8/5 (65 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 118 Cooper St. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Sushi Bars
- Read more on Yelp

Naka Sushi

13 / 21

#9. Naka Sushi

- Rating: 3.9/5 (293 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1200 41st Ave. Ste F Capitola, California
- Categories: Japanese, Sushi Bars
- Read more on Yelp

Akira Seabright

14 / 21

#8. Akira Seabright

- Rating: 3.9/5 (959 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1222 Soquel Ave. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Sushi Bars, Japanese, Asian Fusion
- Read more on Yelp

Wasabi Sushi

15 / 21

#7. Wasabi Sushi

- Rating: 4.1/5 (333 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3555 Clares St. Ste M Capitola, California
- Categories: Sushi Bars
- Read more on Yelp

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Rumble Fish

16 / 21

#6. Rumble Fish

- Rating: 4.2/5 (519 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4727 Scotts Valley Drive Scotts Valley, California
- Categories: Japanese, Sushi Bars
- Read more on Yelp

Sushi San

17 / 21

#5. Sushi San

- Rating: 4.3/5 (188 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 6231 Graham Hill Road Felton, California
- Categories: Sushi Bars, Japanese
- Read more on Yelp

Oyuki Sushi

18 / 21

#4. Oyuki Sushi

- Rating: 4.4/5 (104 reviews)
- Address: 1010 Pacific Ave. Ste F Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Sushi Bars, Japanese, Peruvian
- Read more on Yelp

The Buzz Sushi

19 / 21

#3. The Buzz Sushi

- Rating: 4.5/5 (147 reviews)
- Address: 1005 Cedar St. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Sushi Bars, Vegan, Gluten-Free
- Read more on Yelp

Otoro Sushi

20 / 21

#2. Otoro Sushi

- Rating: 4.5/5 (1141 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 235 Mt Hermon Road Ste G Scotts Valley, California
- Categories: Japanese, Sushi Bars
- Read more on Yelp

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Far East + Kitchen

21 / 21

#1. Far East + Kitchen

- Rating: 4.6/5 (103 reviews)
- Address: 5600 Scotts Valley Drive Ste C Scotts Valley, California
- Categories: Sushi Bars, Chinese, Korean
- Read more on Yelp

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 287 metros.