Sono Sushi
357 Castro St,Ste 3A, Mountain View, CA, 94041
Sono Sushi Menu
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A La Carte - Soup & Salad
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A La Carte - Udon
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Entrees
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Special Rolls
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Sushi
Diabetics at Jason's Deli
Diabetics must not get carried away at Jason's Deli as there are several tempting items on their menu to easily spike your blood sugar. You can try the salads at Jason Deli's or start your meal with hot soup to ensure that you don't stuff too much while at Jason's Deli. You can also pick the right kind of sandwiches to complete your meal.
Foods to Avoid at Jason's Deli for Diabetics:
You must skip all kinds of sandwiches, wraps, and paninis at Jason's Deli for their high sodium content. Even among the salads, avoid the regular ones such as Chicken Club Salad, The Big Chef, Mesa Chicken Salad and go for the lighter versions. In addition, it is also recommended to avoid desserts totally while dining at Jason's Deli.
Food Suggestions for Diabetics at Jason's Deli:
Breakfast Sammy
Nutritional Facts: 250 calories, 12g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 3g), 370mg sodium, 23g carbs, 3g sugar, 0g fiber, 12g Protein
Chicken Club Salad (Lighter)
Nutritional Facts: 540 calories, 44g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 8g), 900mg sodium, 11g carbs, 3g sugar, 3g fiber, 24g Protein
Mesa Chicken Salad (Lighter)
Nutritional Facts: 460 calories, 30g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 5g), 850mg sodium, 26g carbs, 4g sugar, 7g fiber, 22g Protein
Spinach Veggie Wrap
Nutritional Facts: 350 calories, 14g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 4g), 830mg sodium, 51g carbs, 5g sugar, 12g fiber, 16g Protein
Fresh-Brewed Black Currant Tea
Nutritional Facts: 0calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Hot Organic Green Tea
Nutritional Facts: 0calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Hot Tea
Nutritional Facts: 0calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Fresh-Brewed Unsweetened Tea
Nutritional Facts: 0calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Healthy Meal suggestions for Sono Sushi
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A La Carte - Soup & Salad
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A La Carte - Udon
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Entrees
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Special Rolls
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Sushi
High Blood Pressure at Jason's Deli
Blood pressure patients mustn't indulge in sandwiches offered on Jason Deli's menu. Most sandwiches, whether Muffalettas or Po'boys, are high in sodium and could easily spike your blood pressure. Be careful while you order at Jason's Deli and opt for healthy food options such as salads, soups, or soups to ease your cravings.
Foods to Avoid at Jason's Deli for High Blood Pressure
Sandwiches must be avoided at all costs at Jason's Deli as they are loaded with sodium. You must also skip the paninis and wraps if possible and stick to healthy salads and soups while dining at Jason's Deli. Skip adding any kinds of salad dressing, extra cheese, croutons, etc. in your order to limit your sodium intake for the day.
Food Suggestions for High Blood Pressure at Jason's Deli
Banana Nut Muffin
Nutritional Facts: 220 calories, 10g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 1g), 170mg sodium, 25g carbs, 14g sugar, 1g fiber, 5g Protein
A bowl of Fresh Fruits
Nutritional Facts: 390 calories, 8g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 6g), 45mg sodium, 23g carbs, 62g sugar, 9g fiber, 6g Protein
Pollo Mexicano (Lighter)
Nutritional Facts: 800 calories, 22g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 12g), 550mg sodium, 121g carbs, 14g sugar, 11g fiber, 30g Protein
Gluten Free Snickerdoodle Cookie
Nutritional Facts: 210 calories, 8g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 4g), 150mg sodium, 34g carbs, 17g sugar, 0g fiber, 1g Protein
Wild Berry Hibiscus Tea with Pure Cane Sugar
Nutritional Facts: 100 calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 26g carbs, 26g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Fresh-Brewed Black Currant Tea.
Nutritional Facts: 0calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Hot Organic Green Tea.
Nutritional Facts: 0calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Hot Tea
Nutritional Facts: 0calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Fresh-Brewed Unsweetened Tea.
Nutritional Facts: 0calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Visit below restaurant in Mountain View for healthy meals suggestion.
High Cholesterol at Jason's Deli
If you are concerned about your cholesterol, then you got to be very cautious at Jason's Deli. Most sandwiches available on Jason's Deli's menu are high in cholesterol and sodium content. You must choose wisely and opt for salads or soups to please your appetite.
Foods to Avoid at Jason's Deli for High Cholesterol
Avoiding foods at Jason's Deli can be trickier if you are a foodie. It is recommended to skip the heavy sandwiches which are both high in cholesterol and sodium at Jason's Deli. You must also avoid paninis and wraps at Jason Deli's or order the lighter version to reduce your calorie intake.
Food Suggestions to Maintain Cholesterol Level at Jason's Deli
Blueberry Muffin
Nutritional Facts: 190 calories, 5g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 1g), 180mg sodium, 34g carbs, 19g sugar, 1g fiber, 3g Protein
Nutty Mixed Up Salad (Lighter)
Nutritional Facts: 430 calories, 21g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 4g), 810mg sodium, 41g carbs, 33g sugar, 3g fiber, 21g Protein
Texas Style Spud (Lighter)
Nutritional Facts: 830 calories, 22g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 11g), 740mg sodium, 139g carbs, 27g sugar, 14g fiber, 29g Protein
Jason's Deli Bottled Ginger Ale
Nutritional Facts: 140 calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 36g carbs, 36g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Fresh-Brewed Black Currant Tea.
Nutritional Facts: 0calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Hot Organic Green Tea.
Nutritional Facts: 0calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Hot Tea
Nutritional Facts: 0calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Fresh-Brewed Unsweetened Tea.
Nutritional Facts: 0calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein
Visit below restaurant in Mountain View for healthy meals suggestion.
Q & A on Jason's Deli
When did Jason's Deli open?
First Jason's Deli was started on 30th November 1976 at Beaumont, Texas, United States.
Where's the nearby Jason's Deli?
There are around 275 delis in 28 states of the United States. You can locate a nearby Jason's Deli by using our Restaurant Listings Directory.
When does Jason's Deli open and close?
Jason's Deli opens early in the morning daily at 6 AM and closes at 6 PM on weekdays and 3 PM on weekends.
Does Jason's Deli have a drive through?
Yes, Jason's Deli has a drive-through. Besides the drive-thru, Jason's Deli also set up Jason's Express especially for on-the-go families to make things faster. Drive-thru and take-out options help individuals and families to order and pick their meal quickly while on a busy schedule.
Does Jason's Deli serve gluten-free items on the menu?
Jason's Deli isn't entirely a gluten-free environment, but it does offer a gluten-sensitive menu. You can order food from the gluten-sensitive menu to ensure your food is gluten-free.
Does Jason's Deli serve vegan items on the menu?
Yes, they do. The vegan options are limited at Jason's Deli. You can try the organic vegetable soup, spinach veggie wraps w/o cheese, hummus, salsa, guacamole, and many other options from the salad menu.
Does Jason's Deli Cater?
Yes, it does. You can use Jason's Deli's catering service to serve hot and fresh foods to your guests. Whether you want to feed 5 or 5000, Jason's Deli's experienced team can handle your catering order and ensure timely delivery.
What's on Jason's Deli breakfast menu?
Jason's Deli serves a variety of different items on their breakfast menu. You can try the breakfast sandwiches or wraps prepared with fresh-cracked eggs. You can pick up breakfast as early as 6 AM at any Jason's Deli nearby.
Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.
About Jason's Deli
Jason's Deli is a popular bakery restaurant in the United States. Jason's Deli started its operation in Beaumont, Texas on 30th November 1976. The bakery restaurant was started by four partners: Joe Tortorice Jr., Rusty Coco, Pete Verde, and Pat Broussard. Currently, the delicatessen restaurant chain operates in more than 268 locations across 26 states in the United States. Jason's Deli is one of the most successful restaurant chains with under 300 locations.
Deli Management Inc. owns Jason's Deli along with several other deli restaurants in the United States. Jason's Deli is famous for its standard deli style menu where the customers can order from traditional sandwiches to salads, baked potatoes, and pasta. After initiating a health drive in 2000, Jason's Deli successfully eliminated added trans-fat from its food in 2005, later got rid of high fructose syrup in 2008, and finally removed MSG from its food. Today, Jason's Deli offers a wide range of food items including vegan and gluten-free dishes.
Healthy Food Options at Jason's Deli
Jason's Deli offers a standard deli style menu which consists of traditional sandwiches, soups, pasta, baked potatoes, wraps, and salads. If you choose wisely and skip the extra sides or dressings as you order at Jason's Deli, you can find a good variety of healthy food options at Jason's Deli.
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Address :
357 Castro St,Ste 3A
Mountain View, CA, 94041 - Phone (650) 961-9086
- Website https://www.sonosushi.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :Closed
- Mon : Closed
Tue
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch, Dinner
Parking : Garage, Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Carrie H.
Despite the overall not-so-good rating at Sono, I think the food here deserves a solid 3-star. I've been here for lunch quite a few times and recently came here for dinner 'coz there's a wait at the ramen place across the street. Beef Sukiyaki - beef, vegetables, tofu with sukiyaki sauce served with miso soup and steamed rice. Tender beef in tasty sauce which was perfect with the rice. Chirashi - (9 pieces) fresh salmon, tuna and white tuna over sushi rice. It was pretty good but the portions were small. Service was prompt and inviting.
(3)Sammy L.
This place is great when you're in a rush and just want to grab some decent and fast sushi. I love sitting at the sushi boat and watching the little boats go by. But I often try to avoid sitting there because I have a tendency to spend more when I sit at the boats! I can't help but grab another one or two as they go around! o_O The sushi here is pretty good quality, not as great as some of the other sushi places on Castro, but they aren't as expensive either! For their price the quality of the sushi is superb. I have no complaints!
(4)Sakal C.
went here just yesterday with my hubby. Wanted to go to our usual sushi spot but they weren't open on a Sunday...so we saw this one as we were walking around downtown mountain view and notice it was open. Took a look at the menu they posted outside and saw that their price for sushi were decent and went inside. Waitress greeted us right way sat us at a table next to the water fountain they have and got our sushi right way. I got myself the spicy tuna roll even tho it was small, I didn't care it was delicious. and the halibut sushi was yummy. Definitely coming here again. Save me and my hubby a bunch of money. =]
(4)Jacques M.
What can I say? This place is... Is... AMAZING!!!!! I have eaten here for 4 years and I love this place! The chefs there are really nice and welcoming (like sumo sushi. Check it out) the sushi is real good and they have all kind of flavors! I don't know why everyone says it's so bad! Look on the good side people!
(5)Karissa C.
Used to love this sushi place, but ever since they've changed all of the sushi chefs the quality and size of the rolls have really declined.
(2)Cassie S.
This is my favorite sushi place by far! My boyfriend and I have tried other places over the years to see if they measure up to Sono, and they never do. We've even driven down from the city for a quick bite, one because we LOVE Sono, and two because we can't stand the disappointment of another bad sushi place. Sono never disappoints! The caterpillar roll is my fav; no one makes it like Robert and his staff! We go practically once a week now, we know the staff on a first name basis, and as soon as they see us at the door they start making our favorites before we even sit down. LOVE THEM!
(5)Elizabeth Y.
This place focuses on its sushi rolls, which are delivered to you at their sushi bar by boat. It's a bit of a novel experience for the Bay Area, but there are certainly other similar conveyor belt sushi places in the US and in Japan. My bar for Japanese food is quite high, as I used to work and live in Japan. Sono sushi isn't the place to get authentic Japanese food. They try to be creative in their sushi rolls, and I think they do a fairly good job. If you get the right rolls when they're made freshly, this is a great place. Dos and don'ts to have a good experience at this place: -Avoid the sashimi and sushi with fish -- the fish is just ok and you can get much better traditional sushi and sashimi elsewhere. This is a place to get creative sushi rolls. -For dishes that need to be hot (such as the mussels, which are excellent), ask them to specially prepare these on the spot. It's quite common for them to be on the boats too long and then taste terrible. -If things on the boats don't look at fresh, ask them to make it again on the spot. It's possible for some of the food to stay on the boat too long. -Their main menu is just meh -- their creative rolls are the way to go I come back to this place fairly regularly.
(4)Joyce C.
Bad bad quality sushi. It's the kind of quality that you see at all you can eat buffets - mass produced that's been sitting out all day. In the event that you do come here, ask the chefs to make your food fresh. Sushi boats should be avoided in general just because people have been known to put stuff back... gross... Unfortunately this was one of the few sushi places open that we knew of off the top of our heads. Sushi and nigiri was bleh. We also ordered hamachi kama - yellow tail neck. Looked frozen and tasted like it had freezer burn. Service was meh. Would not come back even for the relatively cheaper prices. If you're looking for good late night sushi - go to yume-ya in sunnyvale.
(1)Leslie P.
my friend & i just parked and walked around MV looking for a place to eat. we first saw a Ramen place, and then we both all of sudden started to crave some sushi. since the ramen place only had a few rolls, we decided to keep walking to look for a sushi place. the next place we saw was this and we looked through the window and was sold when we saw the sushi boats. i really like sushi boats since you get a variety of sushi. but when you look at the sushi, some look fresher/better than others. this place wasn't too busy, so that means the sushi & sashimi has been sitting out for a while. anyhoo, i would not have came if i yelped it beforehand. but the waitress was really nice and she let us have separate checks, which a lot of japanese even asian places do not let you do.
(2)Justin H.
Our table ordered tempura rolls, udon soup noodles and beef terriyaki. The sushi sits out on boats. Room temperature, tasted bad. The beef was cooked medium as requested, but a corner was basically raw. The smothering of sauce tried to mask the fact that the beef wasn't fresh. I'd stay away.
(1)Mike L.
a decent, cheap Sushi place. It is not the best japanese food around, but I think you will get the most bang for your buck.
(4)Leo S.
I literally said I had to review this place on Yelp at the end of our enormous and unnecessarily cheap meal. I don't know why I haven't come to this place sooner. Sono had better fish and larger pieces than my favorite place in Palo Alto, but Sono is *cheaper* than my usual fave. It makes no sense, but I liked it, and apparently so do a lot of people, as it was packed at *4 PM* (the number of people who love Sono and pack the place should've given me a clue sooner). (@bruce k: the Asians working there aren't being "racist" to you when they put the coins on the counter because you're white - it's considered the respectful thing to do to not touch your hand with theirs in the East Asian countries I've been to. Let's not accuse minorities of being "racist" to us when we're the ones ignorant of their culture to begin with.)
(4)Av A.
Cheap prices but lacking in flavor and freshness, there were a number of other sushi spots on the streets that we probably should have gone to instead.. oh well, next time.
(1)Joey H.
Off the get go, the only issue that I want to point out is that hard rice from the floating boats. I would assume it is like that because the sushi was flowing around the sushi bar for several minutes. It takes two minutes for a whole rotation. Why is this information relevent...well, I saw the same sushi cycle through the whole time I was there. We were there for a good 30-45 minutes. Why would they keep it out for that long? This place is ok. I would eat here again. The service is very attentive, even though we were at the bar. I guess it's good that she kept filling up my hot tea. My tea never got cold.
(4)Jessie B.
The vegetarian sushi is delicious. The prices are quite reasonable. All 3 times, my four friends and I didn't sit at the boats. When they got one of my friends orders wrong and he didn't say anything until the end of the meal (and didn't touch the food), they still did not charge him for that order. Probably not good for groups bigger than 6.
(5)Wendy K.
I had dinner here with a friend the other night, since we were in the mood for sushi. We ordered the following to share: - bottle of unfiltered sake -- mmmmmm -- no complaints there! - hamachi nigiri - pretty good - tempura maki - didn't try it - tekka maki - also didn't try it - spicy tuna maki - probably my favorite of the evening - just spicy enough without being overwhelming (the spicy tuna roll at Fugakyu in Boston is still my #1: yelp.com/biz/fugakyu-bro… ) - unagi maki -- tasted good, but the texture was a little too chewy - rainbow roll -- the tobiko was too fishy Overall: - Friendly staff, including the hostess and server - Prompt service - our server filled our water glasses and tea cups pretty much after every sip, and our order arrived promptly. - Ambiance - not too pretentious, not a sushi place trying to be a night club - Price - I feel that the price was reasonable for the portions. Would I return? Yes, if my friend wants to go again. Otherwise, I'd probably try some other sushi places in the area.
(3)Shawn L.
I have no idea how this place isn't more popular. The sushi was simple and great, and service was fast and accurate. The price is perfect for this place, as I can eat much more sushi than most places that are obviously proud of their $5/piece menu.
(5)Amy M.
We came here for the first time on a weekend and at around the time when most of the restaurants on Castro Street have closed for the afternoon (between 2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.). We were looking for a place to eat and found Sono Sushi open. We saw the "sushi boat" set-up through the window and thought we'd give this one a try. I would have to say it wasn't too busy when we were there (maybe because it was Thanksgiving weekend), but we were glad to have found a place to eat that was open. Only about 5 customers were there so plenty of seats available. Yes, most of the sushi at the sushi boat looked like they've been going around a few times with some looking "dry and sorry". I was surprised that the selection was "full" with so few customers seated. Sometimes, a place would pull some of the sushi after a few go arounds like they do in SF Japantown (which we have seen) and replaced with fresh sushi, but I'm not sure how they do it here. Anyway, we chose the ones that looked OK and we ended up with 10 sushi plates by the time we decided we were done (because the rest of the pickings were still going around and around ...and we didn't want those). Overall, it wasn't too bad. Service was quick (of course with so few customers), but would we come again ...? Only if we want to have a quick bite to eat, but in all fairness, we haven't tried their dinner menu, so we may return for that and see how that goes.
(3)Jennifer K.
The restaurant itself is cute, right off of Castro Street in downtown Mountain View. The staff is friendly and ambiance is welcoming with the sushi bar being the focal point with fresh (?) sushi floating around on little boats. I really wanted to like this place. The idea of floating boats of sushi is cute and it really gives you the chance to try out new things since the portions are small (and inexpensive). I do wonder how long each dish has been floating around and to be quite frank... The quality is not very good.
(2)Julie C.
The only reason this place gets 3 stars instead of 2 is because of its fair price. You can get a lot of pretty okay stuff for just a few bucks. There aren't exactly specialties or anything fantastic, but this restaurant has a wide range of common sushi rolls and entrees that are decently made. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick meal, but not to any foodies looking for quality sushi.
(3)Josephine D.
This has been our family sushi place for a couple of years now and we have yet to be disappointed! Their sushi is always fresh and the price is equally good! We always like to sit at the bar and the sushi chefs and we put in our orders, made fresh in front of us. Their unagi donburi can use some help - some places already de-bone the fish but not at Sono but it's ok ... this one little thing doesn't deter us from coming back. My 6yo boy loves to come here and order their Unagi and he can finish 5 to 6 plates. They also made this ridiculously huge tempura sushi that was soo good! We love this place and willingly make the drive to Mountain View from Fremont just for sushi!
(4)Nhung T.
This is one of the worst sushi place I have ever gone to. My coworkers and I happen to walk by and decided to try. Ordered: Combination A: consist of tuna roll, California roll, and cucumber roll - the portion was really small and nothing was fresh even the rice!!! Combination D: three pieces California roll, two pieces each of Sake, Tuna, and Yellowtail. Oh boy, it was so nasty, I didn't even finished it. I had to soak it with lots of wasabi just to be editable. The sake tasted like smoke salmon and had this freezer taste to it. The tuna was worst, took a bite and had to spit it out. The Yellowtail was really bad. Udon Soup: Broth looked so old and vegetables wasn't fresh. I would give this place a 1/2 a star if I had the chance. I would never come back!!!!
(1)Veronica B.
The BF and I were a hankerin' for some sushi but didn't want to hurt our pocket books. Twas a hot summer day and the idea of cold fish and hot tea sounded delightful. I really believe that a sushi joint should be airconditioned. Sono is not so in turn some of the rolls and fish ridin' on the little bar dingies didn't taste so fresh. However, Sono is the right price for a simple sushi craving. I wouldn't reccomend sashimi here if you are into quality over price.
(3)Chris G.
The service was fast, miso soup delicious.... but sushi. there's something about watching fish float around on boats... trying to hold back unappetizing thoughts, my stomach turned "i have no idea how long its been out." So i start watching for new dishes that weren't there the last time around."maybe they are safer to eat" :) when i go for sushi - i'd like to have it rolled up right then "fresh" so i ordered fresh; the basic tekka maki. i felt the seaweed was really firm & chewy. not as supple as my usual. the wasabe was a trip too, real fluffy & paler green... i think they use the cheap stuff. the cooks were attentive & the service was lickety split quick. Some appealing looking dishes were rotating the waterway. just my appetite was ruined. watching the boats. a fun date place yes, sort of, but quality & the real experience - i can't fall for it. A billion dollar idea. i'm sure Americans love watching sushi boats.
(2)Michelle D.
You ever have those sushi cravings? That great big pain niggling from somewhere in your head that practically screams so loud that you must have sushi or your significant other will die at the expense of your own hand? No? I guess it's just me then. I get out pretty early from work today and that's pretty rare and so me and the boy take advantage of the early time. I want sushi. I'm desperately craving a tamago. We don't want to go to Los Altos to our fave sushi place. And he knows I'm now venturing down this road of experimenting and trying out new places, so we head down to Sono. We heard from his mom that it's a good place. For me, if it serves tamago, then I'm already sold. But holy crap, are they hiding the good sushi from just us? I look around and there people practically inhaling their tiny little servings as if it's the last meal on earth, and me, I'm really hoping this is the last time I come here. Their tamago was cheap and tasted like it. The New York Roll and Philly Roll was decent but not enough for me to come back here and get it. For the money we spent, which wasn't a lot, my boy should have just told me to shut up about my cravings and go to McDonald's instead. at least I could have gotten some monopoly pieces for my friends who play that dumb-ass game.
(2)Lena A.
Not a top-notch restaurant but it will do. I like the decor - it is cute and inviting. There is a small waterfall in the corner. Fast service, inexpensive, and will satisfy my sushi or chicken teriyaki cravings. I usually have a good experience when I come here. I don't know if the food is authentic. It doesn't really blow me away. I have ordered Chicken Teriyaki a few times and it usually meets my expectations...fairly plain, but good portion size. This is a fun casual, reasonable priced place that you know you can always count on if you are near downtown Mountain View and in the mood for some Japanese food.
(3)Jason L.
Greeted by friendly staff, however, the quality of the sashimi was horrible. Disappointing experience..
(1)Saurabh S.
My favorite place for sushi. I eat a lot of different foods and sushi is one of my favorite. I like my sushi when the service is good, food is fresh. This place won't let you down if you live sushi.
(4)Maggie P.
I love this place. Granted, I never get anything raw so I can't speak for the freshness of the raw fish but everything is always delicious and prepared right in front of me. The only thing I'd slightly complain about is the service - not the fastest, sometimes not the nicest (not rude, just could be nicer). Overall though, the food keeps me coming back.
(4)Iris H.
Disappointing to say the least. $15 for a lunch combo, and the two measly pieces of salmon teriyaki weren't even enough for all the rice I was given. And no miso soup either (though it was stated on the menu). Your money is probably better spent elsewhere.
(2)Rachel K.
I really liked it here! Service was great and sushi was super fresh and delicious. Will definitely be coming back again
(5)Baxter D.
My favorite sushi place in town. Favorite things include: hot towels, boats at the bar, fresh sushi, always leave here satisfied. A great place to bring out of town guests. More fun when there's lots of people sitting at the bar with lots of interesting plates floating by. When it's dead, just order off the menu.
(5)Andrew G.
This place is okay. The place looks really cool and so when you walk in you will feel like you are about to get some awesome sushi... but it wasn't anything special. I sat at the sushi boat bar and watched the tuna nigiri float by.. .and it didn't look appetizing at all. The color was off. The california roll was really plain and I thought all california rolls were the same. The spicy tuna was good. The gyoza was pretty good. Overall, I spent $17 for my meal and I think I should have just gone to Tomi. If you are in a rush... and need food ASAP and gotta get back to the office for that big presentation that you are about to kill, then come here because you can eat, and leave in 20 minutes or less.
(2)Po-Kang W.
Fresh, good portion and reasonable price. But tends to be a little too sweet for me. I have ordered big trays of sushi here a least 6 or 7 times for parties, and they have always been a hit.
(3)joyce c.
Sono Sushi has been on Castro for FO'EVA and has not changed. I am not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing but who am I to judge Christmas lights in a sushi restaurant. I don't know if I would come here for a fancy shmancy Saturday night dinner. You typically get what you pay for and the sushi here is pretty moderately price. Though if you eat like a truck driver your bill will quickly pile up especially if you do the boat style of ordering. If you're looking for a suuuuper authentic Japanese sushi place I would not recommend here. Last time I went there all of the chefs spoke Cantonese but whatever. It's not like only Japanese people can roll rice with fish and vegetables stuck inside. Take your hoity toity buttocks somewhere else and don't expect to get authenticity for a low low price. But if you're looking for a decent fix for your sushi craving this join is A-Ok! (Gotta love the rating descriptions on Yelp). I had a dream last night about their New York roll. Salmon, avocado, and cream cheese. MMM. Delicious!
(3)Water W.
Sorry to say this was a mediocre experience. Four people in our party had mixed reviews. Two of us thought the California roll and kappa maki were really good. One of us thought the other sushi was "okay" but highly recommended ordering fresh from the menu because the sushi going around in the boats at the sushi bar in front of us looked "old" (and I noticed a few people touching the floating boats and plates with their used chopsticks (eww!). I thought my dinner was one of the worst I'd ever had in my life. The chicken cutlet had to be frozen from a box. It had zero taste and was terribly over breaded. It was also fried in oil that tasted, well, "old." I think it had freezer burn because part of the chicken under the breading was actually grey. The salad was minuscule, served in a 3" x 3" dish. As I decided not to finish my dinner (blah) I started to look around and noticed that the cases were not as clean as they could be, tattered decorations were taped to the walls, the plants were nearly dying...just ... blah. All in all, mine was a very mediocre experience. The service was super friendly, though. Nice people. Just need some attention to detail...important detail.
(2)Kevin C.
Highly enjoyable Sushi spot with good atmosphere, friendly and attentive staff and, of course, excellent Sushi. Its the type of place that could easily become your regular and frequent spot for your Sushi fix. My table (including my three kids) were smiles all round. Very nice.
(4)Matt B.
I came here because I was in the mood for some sushi at lunch time and a bunch of the other interns were going already. We were quickly seated. The place itself is pretty average, save for one detail: THEY HAVE BOATS! Tiny wooden boats bring you your sushi like a conveyor belt. Unfortunately, this is just about the only redeeming quality. Before I start to rant, I'll just say that if given the option, I wouldn't go back to this place again. First off, the sushi was mediocre at best. Some pieces were better than others, but some pieces were just darn bad. Maybe 70% of the sushi that went around on the boats during our visit was some sort of cooked fish. It tasted like canned tuna mixed with mayo. It wasn't terrible, but in retrospect it wasn't good, either. Next, the variety of sushi was a crying shame. The chefs loaded up the boats with only one kind of sushi at a time (mostly the cooked-tasting stuff I mentioned above). After a few pieces of it, most of us just sat around waiting for something else to come by, which it didn't. For a stretch of maybe ten minutes, we sat and waited as the boats floated past, hoping for some decent nigiri or a fancy roll of some sort, but we eventually broke down and just ate whatever was there. One of the downsides to the boat setup is that if you see a plate go by more than once, you know nobody wanted it. After you've seen a plate more than ten times, it's time for that sushi to be put out of its misery. The reason nobody was eating it was because we've already had two to four plates of it! Give us something new! Lastly, the prices for the sushi is pretty high! The color/style of the plate determines how much the sushi costs, ranging from just over a dollar to over three dollars. The majority of the sushi (or so it appeared) is usually more than $1.25 per piece! For mediocre (at best) sushi, I feel like I ended up paying for atmosphere rather than fish. All-in-all, I give this place two stars. It would probably otherwise be higher, but there are so many sushi places around (*cough cough* Yakko Sushi *cough*) that coming here is just an overall bad choice.
(2)Hartman L.
Two stars - one on my behalf and one for my girlfriend. My star is based on the fact that they have smoked salmon (as I'm not too fond of fresh) and my girlfriend's star is based on the fact that they provide hot towels. Otherwise, the place is just "ok" if you're looking for a place to eat some affordable yet mediocre quality sushi. I guess I should give them another star for exceptional service...but that requires me to stop typing, move my courser over the ratings section and clicking a third star...not worth it...as is the drive to Sono Sushi. Hey, at least we've doubled this place's ratings compared to the blasted Sushi Tomo. Ah heck, let's give this place another star. Three stars. Nothing bad...nothing great...ok food, ok service, ok pricing...crappy parking.
(3)Diana Y.
A good place to get lunch during the week but I wouldn't call it "superb" sushi but it'll do. The items are relatively cheap but they also don't come in the normal size amounts. For example, it's only $2 for california rolls but it only comes in 2 instead of the average 4-5 pieces. I ordered Chirashi #B which comes with miso soup, assorted salmon, tuna, and white fish on top of sushi rice. The sushi is consistent to what you expect from a place like this (meaning, it's not high quality but it's still good). However, I was pretty disappointed with the sushi rice but maybe it just didn't taste like what I thought it would. It came with seaweed flakes, which is fine, but I was craving that sushi rice taste. Meh, like I said, it's a good place to come for a quick lunch but I probably wouldn't choose to come here for fun on the weekend. The staff is very friendly though, kudos to that
(2)Ricca V.
I love this place! It's cozy, festive and always puts me in a good mood and I've never left here without a smile on my face. My BF and I come here so often they actually recite our orders too us before we even get the chance to pull apart the chopsticks. I'm not a big sushi eater but I do love their shrimp tempura rolls and my BF likes the rockin' roll. My sushi is always made fresh. Never off the sushi boat and the rice is moist, not dry like some places I've been too. They also have great dinner plates that are very reasonably priced. Chicken teriyaki, rice, salad and miso soup for $8 bucks! Well worth it.
(4)Scott A.
Fun sushi boat establishment.
(3)Hannah S.
I don't think most of the reviews do this place justice. Good sushi for the price..the price is low, so what can you really expect? A good, casual place that isn't overpriced for fish, rice, and vegetables.
(3)Corrina S.
Came here for dinner and everything was pretty much A-OK. The service is very fast and they're very attentive - my water glass and tea cup were never less than 1/2 empty at any time! The sushi is decent and affordable. I had miso soup, spicy tuna roll, spicy tuna hand roll, and a couple orders of hamachi nigiri. Everything tasted great! I would definitely recommend this place - friendly service and friendly on the wallet. I will be back! :)
(3)Jenny C.
Went with ppl from work. We are yet another group of ppl who settled for this place because sushi tomi was packed. Now, I've never had sushi tomi but a colleague gave good reviews. Food at sono was ok. We ate from the boats on the carousel and the sushi I picked up were decent but heard a few complaints from others in my group. You can request freshly made sushi tho. One good thing about it is that I can get more different kinds of sushi without having to find someone to split the food with, since I can never eat a lot in one sitting.
(2)Kay F.
My family and I are ALWAYS here, about every weekend, for the past 6 months. For a party of 6, we always try to get seated at the sushi bar. And I read here that someone said that it is good to limit your pile of plates..? Wouldn't it be a compliment if you had a huge ass stack? Well, we are paying customers, so we don't care about these little rules since we always have a heaping stack of little plates as we also order from the menu. We stopped by today at dinner time, and even after the Mtn. View festival was closed for the day, this place was quite empty at 7 when it is usually packed. Sometimes we wait, but I guess since the staff knows our faces by now, I do not remember waiting in "line" for at least 6 months. I recently saw a sign at the sushi bar that says "$5 minimum".... but that usually isn't ever the problem. Sushi here is really good, and their MANGO sushis are bomb. This place isn't fancy, either, so don't expect much. Decor is typical Japanese. The occupancy sign (or "occpancy" sign lol, you'll get it when you get here) says 55 people. So, cheers!
(5)Jenny S.
I used to like this place - until a friend took me to a much better Sushi place and I could taste the difference. The last time I went here was with a friend of mine, and we sat by the sushi bar. We placed an order at the bar and while the guy was making it he turned around and blew a snot rocket! I guess he didnt think that anyone would notice, but we did...I would never go back after that!
(1)Doug G.
OMG, this place was terrible and such a dissapointment. First off, it is run by Taiwanese. That's not racist, just a note to indicate that the flavors of soups and sauces, the presentation and atmosphere were NOT Japanese. The chicken teriyaki's sauce was overly sweet, and there was even a sweet tinge to the miso soup (not enough dashi). My salmon was okay, but dry. I admit that having lived in Japan for quite a while, I'm somewhat of a Japanese food snob. I don't mind non-Japanese making Japanese food, but PLEASE have it be correct! It's a shame to call it "Japanese food" when the flavors really weren't. No wonder the Japanese government is calling for some kind of a rating system for "Japanese" restaurants abroad. There are much better offerings in downtown Mountain View.
(1)Madalina B.
Food was good, but nothing to write home about.
(2)Jeremy L.
So this was another night for a culinary adventure where new unfamiliar spots are explored in hopes to discover a jewel among stones. Sono Sushi was the choice that was different. Different because it's not as well known as Maruichi, which is located just across the street. Even so, while Maruichi specialized in ramen, Sono was an all-rounded Japanese restaurant. The sushi boat was favored since it's always fun to grab your food from boats that float away from you and that's what me and my girlfriend did! In comparison with other sushi boat spots, it's really not much different. Lots of sushi that are typical like the Unagi with avocado, or the one with Shrimp Tempura. But what really matters is the freshness of their Sashimi, which wasn't too bad, but definitely could aim higher. However, we couldn't just fill ourselves up with just sashimi and sushi, so we got Soft Shell Crab, which was made fresh and was very meaty! As in 99% meat and 0.5% shell, 0.5% batter. Not bad for value, but the drawback was the taste. There is nearly none. I had to dip it in soy sauce, something I rarely do. Anyway, of the few sushi boats I've been to, Sono isn't quite touching the bar. The price is within the average price of $3-$5 per plate (depending on what you get) and the service is decent.
(2)Anne E.
If you want mayonnaise on every single piece of sushi you pick off the boats, then go here. I've never seen anything like it- there were slops of mayo in the spicy tuna roll, streaks across the top of the rainbow role, engrained in the maki and cucumber role, the salad and even the freaking oysters! I think they must have been trying to get rid of it before it went bad, but it was disgusting. Maybe I'm just a stickler and like sushi because it's a delicious, healthy food, but I would not recommend this to anyone who doesn't want to have a coronary from all the transfats.
(1)Sharon W.
I was really surprised by all the negative reviews. Maybe it's my uncultured palate, but I thought the sushi was reasonably good. I didn't order any raw rolls, only cooked and vegetarian, and I ordered from the waitress, so I assume it was fresh and not from a boat. It certainly didn't taste dry like the pathetic roll I had at a random American restaurant the other day. I also thought it was really affordable, especially for the taste. I've paid $5/roll for sushi (and in Pittsburgh, that's a lot more money than in San Francisco) where you can smell the seaweed really strongly... but never again, now that I've realized I can get adequate food for the same amount.
(4)Rhea S.
I love sushi, and this place is good and fun. Fun boats carry the sushi and the miso soup is amazing! Fresh sushi and nice quiet place.
(4)Stephanie B.
I love this place. I have been going here for years. I now have a 16 month old and they give her special service. She loves the tofu in the miso soup so they put a bunch in at no extra charge and other special things which make eating out with a toddler much easier. I always order the sushi from the chef so have no issue on the sushi being old. They have great prices, great food and great service.
(5)Jason L.
Absolute crap. Went on a walk with the boss, er, uh, Japanese wife and she had some sort of immediate hunger crisis and pointed out correctly that I had never taken her to Sono Sushi as we walked past. "It's a sushi shop run by some kind of Chinese, you know that, right?" - just like any cuisine, while being a native of the genre is no guarantee of quality or goodness, it certainly doesn't hurt, particularly in terms of authenticity. Boss was fine with that, being hungry. OK, here we go. Well, there is a sushi bar inside with tables also available. We sat at the bar. Service was below average at best, a kind of "I don't give a shit" casual air. One of the marvelous things about Japan is how seriously even people on the low end of the scale treat their work. The guy sweeping the streets - he is serious about it and he is *on* that motherfucking broom. The chick at McDonalds who hands you the teriyaki burger and bacon potatoe pie is serious about the shit and that bag is neatly folded and professionally presented. Even at Mickie D's. So, that level of service kind of sets the tone for the expectations, which are high with Japanese food. The service was in that context completely under par, but about what you would expect from a cheap and dirty Chinese dive. On to the food, which was disappointing. You know how old, cold sushi gets - like the kind of stuff you get at Safeway or the convenience store? Yeah, kinda old, dried up and not real tasty. Gyoza? Cold, cold cold. The soybeans were tasty, but it is really hard to fuck those up. It was funny, while we were there another couple was eating and the guy bitched about cold gyoza and ordered less dessicated sushi from the chef, not wanting to partake of the geriatric nigiri. The staff did not seem particularly phased or concerned. I expect that people bitching about refridgerator cold gyoza and dried up tuna is not a particularly new thing for them. Anyway, in general try to stick to Japanese places run by Japanese and in particular try to go elsewhere if you would like good food. Yes, this is a harsh review but if you are running a restaurant with as little pride and effort as was the case tonight then you should find another line of work you can get excited about.
(1)Katie Y.
This place is delicious! Overall the hostess and the waitress were accomodating and were attentive to our large group. Ordered the Rainbow Roll which had very fresh sashimi, as well as the Unagi which was cooked to perfection. Can't wait until I go back!
(4)Christina P.
Ew!! It's one thing to eat somewhere that's not great... but when it comes to bad sushi... HEALTH ISSUES come to mind! Sushi boat is always risky business... but the fam wanted to sit at a table, so ... I thought the benefit to that was that we *KNEW* we were getting fresh sushi. NOPE! I could go into detail, but would you want to be grossed out? Things that should be cold, were warm and a lot of the tastes were off. Mayo was used way too much, and basically things were unidentifiable. Even the the maguro nigiri didn't taste clean and fresh. Also... they were slow pokes on the refilling of beverages (which was unfortunate, because I had a constant need to wash down the gross food I was consuming). Will not go here again -- and you shouldn't either!
(1)wheatberry s.
Not recommended. Seemed as though Sono Sushi looked fairly popular with the amount of people inside dining for a weekday lunch. Maybe popular but not a good place to eat sushi/sashimi/rolls....ummmm....anything. Service wasn't great. The waitress was eager to get our order but that's about it. She was totally out of sight afterwards except picking up the check at the end. My first at trying a baked dragon roll. Terrible. Not what we expected - my friend wondered whether they put some kind of cheese on top that 'baked'. In general the food was highly seasoned - not what Japanese food should taste like. Pretty sweet and a bit salty. Japanese food should taste fresh, light, yet full to the flavor. Sono Sushi's missed the mark.
(1)Mallory C.
It's just fine for a quick sushi dinner. No, it's not high-end, but neither are the prices. Just walk in, sit down, grab a few plates off the boats and eat. It's super fast and they have reasonable prices. And they've been here for over 20 years. And it's guaranteed that they will refill your cup-of-tea about 5 or 6 times. I like this place.
(3)Noel M.
I got luv for Sono because it was the first sushi joint I ever went to. It has some good qualities though, it's decent, affordable, consistent, friendly and the head chef has been the same for the past 8 years that I've been occasionally going. The menu is weak but they happily take requests.
(4)Rebecca C.
Small, cozy sushi place. Love it that they bring hot washcloths and hot tea to your seat before you even get a chance to sit down. I think the philly roll and unagi maki are pretty reliable. Not a big fan of the edamame as I like mine warm and theirs are usually cold. I've been to several other sushi restaurants and maybe this place isn't as fancy or big but for a quick, inexpensive but good sushi fix, I think it's a good find.
(4)Andy F.
After carefully reviewing the comments, and went to Sono Sushi for couple times, here is my conclusion... Sono Sushi is operated by people from Taiwan, the chef, was trained by the owner, he is from China, both of them never been to the legitimate traditional culinary institute for real training on this type of food. Based on the food I've ordered, the sushi is not Japanese traditional; some of the ingredients they use will never be touch by the "real" Japanese chef at all. The broth from the udon soup is based on pre-made soup stock available at some of the Japanese markets, same as the Teriyaki dish, the pre-made bottled sauce is too sweet and the meat is cook on the commercial fast-grilling electric or gas grill instead of traditional wood-smoked grilling... After taking a little time talking to the owner, he specifies that his business goal is not focus on high-end restaurant market, but mid-range with affordable price... Final word is the price is affordable, and simply to say, you get what you've paid for. If you double check on their pricing, they're the cheapest around town!
(3)Surai J.
I only go here because it's the only sushi boat place nearby with easy parking. There's always Miyake's in downtown palo alto but lunch would be over by the time I find parking.
(2)Zakk D.
I never thought I'd live to see the day that Kazoo Sushi's boats look like they caught the fish and carved it up while you watched. Sono Sushi = Stale sushi I went here with a colleague after a meeting on Castro and thought that here, in the heart of the Geekland, there would be endless shops of great sushi. Walking in, there was plenty of space at the bar (should have seen this as strike 1 at lunch time) Looking at the sushi, it all looked pale, and tasted like it has been out all night (strike 2). I started watching the lone chef making the sushi to try to eyeball where the fresh stuff was. Also, the selection on the boat was completely lacking. You had better like maguro, caterpillars, or California rolls. In the end, getting a soda from the waitresses was nearly impossible. Stike 3 and I'm out. The service wasn't as bad as people said, maybe I was here on pay day. But overall this is not a place I'd come back to.
(2)Anne and Mike M.
Our kids like the boats. Other than that, no reason to go hear with all the other great Sushi options in downtown.
(1)Annie C.
Their sushi boats were 80% empty on a Saturday night at 8pm. What the heck? OK, it's one thing that if it was late and they didn't want to make any additional sushi anymore. I sat there for a good 40 minutes and they brought out like 2 new dishes and they didn't bother making any more rolls as the customers were still coming in. I was forced to order from the menu. The customer next to me also ordered from the menu and I saw the sushi chef just took a dish from the boat (and who knew how long it's been sitting there) and gave it to her. Dude, the whole point of ordering from the menu was to have something fresh. That was just wrong. The softshell crab was absolutely tasteless and the sashimi wasn't fresh at all. I'm surprised that this place is still in business. Stay away from it. Go across the street to Maruichi.
(1)Cassandra T.
I've always had fast, friendly service here. The sushi is great too, avocado rolls, inari and my Precious: vegetable tempura rolls OMG! (Seriously one of the best things ever; warm, crispy carrot/onion/sweet potato tempura wrapped in sticky rice with sesame seeds sprinkled on top!) No complaints. Everytime I've been it seems to be busy and yet we seem to find seats at the sushi boat.
(4)Laura P.
Perfect! I had lunch here today. Perfectly delicious and a good price. Absolutely would come again. Yummy in my tummy! But also, I kinda find the decorations...weird.
(4)Mark W.
I must be cheap! Keep saying the same thing, Good quality, but over priced! Good, fresh sushi boat near Mountain View Library, but $25 for a quick sushi boat is too much
(3)taylor s.
I should've done my homework on this place!!!!! We stopped in and got to the bar without a problem...on a saturday night....should've known. The sushi boat stuff looked like it had been sitting there for about a week too long. We had to ask for a menu and the waitress wanted our order immediately. So we asked for an avocado roll and a dragon roll. Avo was good, but how could it not be? The dragon roll was sub par. After that we ordered some saki. The waitress was acting like she didn't know what the hell we were talking about. COLD SAKI. Anyway, we got 2 more rolls each and found ourselves oddly stuffed. I usually like the fact that sushi is filling but not grossly. We each ate 2 rolls!!!! WTF!!! Anyway, we high tailed it out of there and will NEVER be back.
(1)Inara K.
We love this place! We have tried so many sushi places in the past years, and nothing beats Sono. Prices are reasonable and the food is great. It is conveniently located, so it nice to go for a walk Downtown.
(5)Kris C.
This is okay sushi, not great, not exciting, not the best priced. Sometimes you order sushi and its put on HOT rice, but the fish is all good quality. I order mass quantities of; Asahi, salmon nigiri, ebi nigiri, spicy tuna roll, and any kind of tuna nigiri, and it's all been good quality. I haven't been sick, and the place is always clean. The service is a bit eh too. Still trying to find a good sushi place in Mountain View!
(2)Janelle V.
To be fair, this review is only for the sushi boat. The restaurant is small, but nicely decorated. It was all just mediocre tasting, kind of like the stuff you could get from the grocery store. It was also really awkward because my boyfriend and I were being watched the entire time by the sushi chef stationed in front of our seats. We only got tea and some sushi, added up to about $30 for the two of us. I won't be coming back.
(2)Kogure D.
The thing about sushi is, there is no quality middle ground. It's either awesome or it is terrible; the margin for error is so slim that "average" sushi is just plain bad. So when I say that Sono Sushi is an "average" sushi restaurant, you should take that to mean that it's pretty bad. It's not a complete failure (it didn't make me sick or anything), but when it comes to sushi and sashimi, any degree of failure is absolute. So yeah, the ambience is fine, the selection is fine, the cuts are thick and the service was acceptable. I didn't have a beef with the price or the location or the hours or the parking. The sushi just wasn't very good--the fish was stale and flavorless. And that, unfortunately for Sono Sushi, is enough to make it worth avoiding for all time.
(2)Ro S.
We frequent Sono's about 10 times a year. Their hamachi is "previously frozen".. their salmon is very good.. I usually order a hand roll of unagi, imitation crab, cucumber and avocado. their mirugai is fresh (when they have it).. Their uni is delicious. So their sushi is okay - it's not the best quality, but it's always very decent. The service is almost always nice. They don't talk a lot, but they are accomodating and nice. And that's why we come here.. we know we'll always have a nice dinner. oh and the price is reasonable too!
(4)David P.
I'm starting to like the half sushi roll concept. Who needs 6 pieces of one roll, when you can try 3 of one and 3 of another. Variety is the spice of life... right? I wouldn't say the sushi is phenomenal here, in fact, it's mediocre, but you can't complain, because Sono is a restaurant where you get what you pay for. The prices are reasonable and the sushi is alright. I'd almost have to say the restaurant has a tapas kind of feel, because almost everything seems a la carte. You can order small sides of ika, agedashi tofu, chicken terriyaki, etc. Then again, I guess all sushi joints do this, but for some reason Sono seems to have this vibe. The place isn't bad for a quick sushi fix.
(3)Paul S.
We were with a group of 7 and the restaurant unfortunately wasn't really the best size to support us - they had to put a couple of tables together for us on the side - so I can understand staff being not very friendly towards us. The prices were very reasonable. Water and tea were refilled very often. Since we were in a group, we didn't eat off the boats - ordered from the menu. Overall, sushi was ok...there are better places.
(3)Christine S.
The reviews are harsh, because there are so many better sushi places around the Bay. I think "not bad" pretty much sums it up--cheap, decent sushi run by Taiwanese. Unspectacular, but nice portions of udon, katsu, and teriyaki. I'm unhappy that most of the salmon sushi is smoked and not fresh, but the hamachi yellowtail nigiri is fatty and delicious. For really tasty and cheap salmon nigiri, head to Sushi Tomo (either University Ave or El Camino will do), but the hamachi at Sono beats Tomo hands down. Friendly service, catering to a noisy, Americanized customer base. I like the colorful menus with pictures of every dish--my friends have resolved to get the $60 party platter of nigiri and sushi and have an eating contest at some point. Steer clear of any mayo-related sushi rolls, they're Americanized and kind of gross. Do not sit at the sushi boat bar, you have no idea how long the dishes have been floating...order your sushi fresh from the chefs and get some cheap hand rolls.
(3)Brian L.
The sushi is really mediocre. It doesn't taste that fresh and the portions are really small when you're ordering from the boats. The boats are cool...but that's pretty much it. Check out Tsunami sushi if you're looking for better sushi on Castro, or make your way to Sunnyvale for real Japanese food.
(2)Jon Y.
Decent sushi boat spot. The fish isn't the freshest I've had by far. It's just okay. The chefs don't seem to read the sushi bar customers very well. They just make whatever they feel like (in bulk) and distribute to the boats. Eventually all the boats get filled with something that no one likes and it just gets older and older as it goes around untouched. It took 30 minutes for some salmon nigiri to come out...and that's only because I requested a couple of pieces so they figured they'd pump out a few more while they were at it. Prices per dish are on par with their competitors.
(2)Victoria Y.
Got the salmon here but it was a bit fishy..s I ended up not eating much. My coworkers love the sushi here but I wasn't a fan of chinese made sushi. The workers are really sweet and helpful but the food doesn't do it for me.
(1)Ken K.
I want to like this place, not because this is a Chinese run kaitenzushi (aka poor sushi boat moat) but the service is not bad and the staff is quite friendly, and I have some memories of coming here with my work team many years ago when we had to work weekends and my manager decided to treat us to sushi. Somewhere around the restaurant are photos of various shiny happy non Japanese people looking like frat boys and sor girlz, enjoying a birthday bash or some other special occasion, apparently having a good time here. I would not be caught dead in one of those photos for sure. Unfortunately this place represents a very poor value for extreme mediocrity. I've had worse kaitenzushi before (like the place off Rengstorff/101 in the Costco complex). When you go in at lunch time, you would expect that the sushi on the boats should be at least made within the hour and still taste somewhat fresh. Sadly they don't. Even the shrimp tempura rolls taste like they were taken out of the refrigerator for an hour and allowed to warm down to room temperature, or the shrimp was cooked hours back, then used to make the rolls, so it doesn't taste toasty. For the same price Sono charges, drive further into Sunnyvale to Sushi Maru, a real Japanese run and owned kaitenzushi place that offers better value, generally better quality fish (not as great as their sister sushi restaurants Sushi Tomi and Tomi Sushi, same owners), and way more variety (e.g. anago, aji, tai, hirame, toro, uni, seared marinated chu toro aka chu toro zuke, grilled ume masu with onions, ama ebi, apparently kohada is sometimes available, fancy rolls, croquette, deep fry stuff on boats but not in roll/sushi form etc).
(1)Jonathan W.
They were rude, and unclear as to their policy. When we wanted our bill, they argued that we need to order more to meet their minimum bill requirement. I understand that's only fair... but when 3 of the 5 people ordered enough to average well over 10 a person... well over $5 a person minimum, it's not right that the other people are required to order more, when the first servings were bad and everyone just wanted to leave. Plus they weren't polite about it.
(1)Jalon Z.
Once you get past the novelty of the sushi boats, the friendly staff and the fun interior of the restaurant, you start to pay attention to the sushi. In the process of building quite a pile of empty sushi plates, I started to notice that: 1) The selection on the sushi boats was very limited and definitely on the cheap side. (How else could they make money?) A bunch of the sushi looked like it was "filler". No one would touch it. 2) The individual sushi selection on the menu looked outstanding. At this point I regretted not sitting at a table. 3) The sushi itself wasn't bad. It had just been riding around in circles on a boat for awhile. I think it felt a little queasy. There were some less popular sushi selections that had been riding around for a LONG time. There are better sushi restaurants on Castro street for the money. However, other diners were coming in and having a blast. Maybe the lies my co-workers tell about me being a food snob are true!
(2)Lissa K.
I'm revising my review down to 2-stars due to the increased yuck-factor from my last experience at Sono. I arrived before the dinner rush (around 5:30 pm) and the sushi on the boats all looked like it had been circling since lunch. Although I stayed away from grabbing anything off the boats, watching browning avocado float past you while you are eating dinner is never appetizing.
(2)Erica L.
Hard to find sushi boats, but this place was decent. Everything was pretty fresh and prices were reasonable. Don't go too early because the variety is slim.
(3)Tigg B.
Sad, but understandable, the owners retired. Walked by last night and it's closed and some sort of new Japanese restaurant will go in. I hope they retained the excellent staff.
(1)Vincent Y.
I've been obsessed with this place ever since I started to appreciate sushi! Sono sushi delivers both a high quality meal with an amazing aesthetic display. One thing that is especially notable about sono sushi is the authentic asian atmosphere. From the hanging Japanese lanterns strung around the restaurant to the circulating sushi boats, sono sushi delivers an impressive asian ambiance. Not once have I attended sono to have come out disappointed by their service or their food. I recently had dinner here after summer vacation started and was pleased to find out this place is still as impressive as ever. I am always excited to come to sono and would definitely recommend it to anyone in the area!!
(5)D L.
Sono Sushi is closed now - I posted pictures of the two signs on the window Looks like a new ownership is taking over in September
(5)Lynette B.
Great value and delicious! My boyfriend and I love eating here. We always sit at the bar to have access to sushi coming by on the boats. I forget the name of it but the roll with mango is amazing!
(4)Spicy T.
Unfortunately, Sono Sushi lost its lease and has to leave the Castro Street location. I hope that they will re-open at another location nearby.
(5)Aileen C.
I dont usually write reviews but I am writing one to show my appreciation to the owner for making me and my students feel so welcome here. I am a teacher for special children and finding a restaurant to eat is something that the sends anxiety to me and most of my staff... After watching a play at the MV Performing Arts we had to find a place for my students to have lunch. Decided on going here since the price was reasonable. The owner was very welcoming and so are the staff. They made sure that we were ok and that the students had all they needed. The owner was understanding about my concern of having a couple of receipts for my students. They made our visit so stress free. The food was good and really reasonable. Will definitely be back because I love people who respects people like my students.
(5)Mark Z.
Sono, it appears is no more. Went there tonight with my son and found it closed. The sign in the window said that Rumblefish would be coming soon after renovation.
(3)Jialing L.
Sushi boat. That's the only reason I came here two years ago. The sushi itself was just okay so I probably won't be back but at least I can say that I've eaten from a sushi boat.
(3)Rebecca R.
Definitely recommend this restaurant! When we entered, we were seated immediately and given some green tea right away. The menu had many options for those who enjoy raw rolls or sashimi, but also a lot for those who enjoy the cooked or fried rolls. The portions of some rolls were smaller, but the price adequately reflected that, and I feel like we were able to enjoy a wide variety of flavors for a very fair price. Also, if you are sitting at the sushi bar for half an hour before closing, rolls are only $1.50 each (although we sat at a table this time). Overall, I had a great experience at this restaurant and I would definitely return!
(5)Fred S.
Let's see here, what can I say? The place is simply wonderful. The staff is very welcoming and the service is speedy. As to the food: amazing. The price/quality ratio is on point, and dare I say exceptional. Why did I not give them 5 stars you say? Well 5 stars, in my humble opinion, are reserved for really high end places. Don't get me wrong this place is top notch and I would recommend it to anyone. Furthermore its spacey enough so as to fit a large party of friends; check this place out!
(4)Amy H.
I wanted to be cute and eat sushi on Castro so we went to this somewhat empty place. What is even better is that they have rotating boats so you can choose what you wanna eat. To be honest, all the sushi on the boat is not fresh and dry. We asked for them to make specific rolls for us- california roll with salmon on top and boy were these delicious. The salmon was fresh and the cali part was ridic. Definitely order from the sushi makers rather than eating straight from the boat. It does get pricey because you keep attacking those plates. It ended up being about $20/a person.
(3)David K.
So this place has the traditional bar where you select your sushi as it rolls past you on a conveyor belt. Pretty cool and, unfortunately, my group did not opt that route - we took the booth route. The food was just OK. I think they need a better fish supplier because many of the sashimi pieces were tough. Service was also OK - our server seemed a bit confused (maybe new?). Pricing was average - I love sushi (still a'workin' on that Yelp badge). I give them a solid C - I'd check the ratings in the area to see if there is a higher rated place.....
(3)Heather S.
Was enjoying my meal until the guy behind the sushi bar decides to start cleaning the floor with Lysol. Now all I can smell or taste is Lysol in the air and can't get out of here fast enough before I barf.
(2)Zak R.
Here are some things that could help increase ratings: 1) Dirty or finished dishes should be promptly removed from the table. This is particularly important when additional food is being delivered and there is no room on the table. We asked our server to do this but were told they were left for billing purposes. If you're sitting at a table, there is a much easier way to accomplish billing without leaving dirty dishes on your table. 2) The muscles were inedible. These should be removed from the menu or prepared correctly. 3) Items on the menu should be available except for extenuating circumstances. 4) Water should be brought to tables when requested by patrons. We look forward to improvements.
(3)Jim P.
Ugh, my absolute pet peeve is cleanliness when it comes to eating hand prepared raw food. The sushi chef today was very friendly and attentive but also seems to have a cold or allergies as he kept wiping his nose with the back of his hand and diving right back into the food. I know you don't come to a sushi boat place for high quality freshly made sushi but I do expect sanitary, aware of what they are doing staff. Just yuk, won't be back.
(2)Melody Y.
Rock n Roll is always the best, sometimes I go there just for that!! It taste even better when it's made fresh
(5)Iggy H.
I wouldn't say this is the best sushi, but for mountain view is good taste for the value. The rice is more like jasmine so as long as you don't mind it taste good. The hamachi Kama is my favorite here.
(4)Victor C.
Cheap eats when you're in a hurry. Don't expect the best quality fish at the prices they charge. We usually eat at the bar and pick what we want from the boats! The kid's favorite is the deep fried CA roll.
(3)Kelly C.
The sushi here is definitely amazing and the staff is courteous. I recommend it!
(4)Zachary D.
A "sushi on a boat" experience. The fish and rolls aren't bad, but the quality leaves much to be desired and the time since preparation is entirely unknown. This is an adequate place to have a quick sushi dinner if you're in the mood and in a hurry.
(2)Sakares S.
Awesome Salmon taste here with reasonable price. The service is also great! It's worth to stop by for lunch or dinner. Just come to order only salmon or tuna sushi is enough!
(5)G N.
Came in recently and I wasn't really impressed. Initially, I was excited about the sushi boats. I've never experienced the rotating boats. However, once we started grabbing things off the boats, we found everything to be lackluster. Nothing stuck out as particularly good. We should had ordered some things fresh, but after quickly racking up a tab from the bar, we didn't want to spend the extra money. Despite our bill coming out to be $45 between two people, we were still fairly hungry and went to tapioca express down the street for popcorn chicken and boba. For that price, I know I can have a better sushi experiences elsewhere.
(2)Henry L.
If I recall correctly this should be the only sushi-boat place in the mountain view area that serves sushi on boats, which is awesome. Unfortunately, the sushi they put on the boats actually have a low range of variety, so you always see the same kinds of fish rotating around. The good news is, a much wider selection is available in the menu, so if you like you can order specific fish types from the waiters. Relatively decent prices. The only boat place in town. Good decor. Great place to chill.
(3)Zara A.
Not super fancy, their sushi is good. Their employees are super friendly and nice too.
(4)Betsy S.
We wanted to try a new sushi place in the area. Good thing we tried this one, b/c now we know and won't be left wondering if it is any good- it is not. they get 5 stars for service, and I love the hot towels at the beginning of your meal. But the fish did not taste fresh and my spider roll was not crispy. It was only crab tempura wrapped in rice. No avocado or cucumber!! The uni was brown when we are accustomed to the typical yellow color. I am just happy we weren't eating from the sushi boat, and the plate sizes were small so I didn't have to eat too much of this aweful sushi!
(2)Stephanie A.
Good Sushi. Tipical to our area. The sushi is tasty and fresh though nothing special. I wouldn't drive all the way especially to eat here, but if around it will be my choice for lunch. Service was good and fast, I set at the bar and had the California roll, spicy tuna, and dragon roll. The sushi chef was very pleasant and welcoming. The prices are average for sushi in our area not high not low.
(3)Jenny H.
Wonder if the owner is same as sushi maru. I like their style. Small dishes with a boat. Will come back.
(4)Mark M.
The boats are awesome! That alone is worth it. I know I'm easily amused but I'm not the only one. Check it out, it's fun, and the food is good too!
(4)Carena N.
It's okay. Nothing spectacular, but it's close by to my work for a quick bite of sushi. My coworker and I were feeeeeening sashimi after our workout together and decided to come here late Tuesday night. We sat around the sushi boats, but only took two of the plates (Inari Roll and Spicy Hamachi Roll), and ordered hamachi sashimi (yellowtail) and nama sake sashimi (salmon). Hamachi was alright, but not the best that I've had... it was also a lot more pink that what I'm usually used to. o___o;;; Came with 7 pieces as the menu stated, but not too much to rave about. I really enjoyed the sake though, very fresh and yummy tasting! Also came with 9 pieces as the menu stated. The slices were quite thick, especially the hamachi! Salmon was slightly thinner, but I guess both kinda offset each other since count wise, one is two short of the other. Inari Roll was yummy, can't really go wrong with this roll... otherwise I'd be terribly worried for this restaurant. Spicy Hamachi Roll was also not bad, still good. Wasn't very spicy though... actually didn't taste any spice haha, but that could also be that I have a very high tolerance for spice. Oh! And if you're an always-ever hungry, hungry girl like me that can't help but have hungrier eyeballs than stomach, it would probably not be wise to sit around the sushi boats. I kept wanting to grab more plates just because it was in front of me!!! Haha. Average food, good location for a quick sushi fix nearby work. Conveniently located in Downtown Mountain View, so I'm sure if you ever go wrong here, there's plenty of choices for other places to eat at. This place isn't to die for, but if I needed a quick sushi fix after work, this would probably be my go to place.
(3)Mit R.
The look of the fish on the nigiri was sad and looked like it was days old and tasted even worse! Also it was the kind that the rice would fall apart as soon as you try to pick one up! This was one of the worse sushi experiences we had in the south bay. The California role was ok, but it's hard to get that one wrong. The miso soup was acceptable too, hence the 2 stars.
(2)Sarah D.
This place is so much fun to visit! Plates are small so you have the opportunity to try a variety of rolls. About 3-6 pieces a plate. Sushi plates very from $2.50 - $5.00. I recommend the PHILLY ROLL and the TERIYAKI TUNA ROLL. Also had the chicken teriyaki roll, edamame, and potstickers....tasty. The bar has sushi boats that carry plates around so you can just pull them right off, or you can order with the waitress if the one you want isnt available. They also have full dinner plates available if you want to change it up. Nice, clean, affordable and lots of fun :)
(4)Jes V.
Been coming to Sono Sushi for almost 8 years and I think it a great blend of Japanese Cuisine (fresh raw fish or cooked, and meats), customer service, price, and ambiance. When I compare it to other places I've been to, the minus is their meat/fish portions are smaller than some other Japanese restaurants, and they do not have other seafood items on the menu that you may find in other Japanese Restaurants. Cleanliness could be a bit better. The staff is very attentive and friendly. I also like the hot towel given to customers.
(4)Alice C.
Typical popular Japanese place because it has a sushi boat conveyor belt. I like sushi boats, but only when there's a huge volume and a decent selection (that guarantees freshness). This place is neither. I have walked in here once with a friend, taken a look at the sad sushi pieces on the belt, and decided to sit at a table and order a la carte. The sushi still wasn't great, but luckily my friend didn't care coz she's the kind that dunks the fish in soy sauce. This time I got me some tofu sukiyaki. Why no fish at a sushi place? Er...long story. Anywho, the pot was covered in pieces of tofu. To be honest, I have no idea what's the obsession of Americans with silky tofu is -- there are so many preparations of tofu. Some white pieces of fresh-out-of-the-box silky tofu that cannot soak up the sukiyaki sauce is the completely wrong choice for this pot. The fact that there was little more than mushrooms and potato noodles other than the tofu didn't help either. It was a really bland sukiyaki dish, much to my disappointment. [Sidenote: if you want silky tofu to soak up any sauce well, you need to press the water out first. Or use another type of tofu product, like deep-fried tofu pockets, frozen tofu, deep-fried egg tofu] Well, I guess that's it for it.
(2)Vee B.
The sushi here is average. Sometimes its super fresh, other times, its been going round and round forever like a 40 year old in a singles bar.
(3)Karen M.
Really tasty sushi! I had the miso soup and mango tango roll. With a side of sake bomb. Fresh and flavorful. Authentic food and ambiance. Well worth the drive if you live in San Jose!
(4)Peter T.
Really simple and straight forward. Haven't seen sushi boat bar since Miyaki in Cupertino, so that was great. Sushi prices are good, and portions of bento boxes and rolls are above average. Taste is also pretty good. They also have photos of all of the sushi in the menu, which is a helpful touch. Only gripe would be that the specialty rolls are of standard fare.
(4)Andre R.
We like this place for our family, and have gone to eat there maybe 50 times. While it might not be the best quality sushi, it's quite good. The prices are quite fair as well. Service at the bar could be a bit more attentive at times.
(4)Anand D.
I have visited this place a few times now. I go here because the place is kid-friendly. Our kids love the boats. The sushi on the boats is hit or miss. Tastes good, but the variety some days is great and others its not. The service can sometime be slow, but we always sit at the bar and we get attention from the sushi chef. I will likely continue going here because we have not found another sushi place with the taste/price combination
(4)Ann M.
Many years ago I used to frequent this restaurant, with the food to-go, and at that time had not yet been diagnosed with celiac disease. I decided to try this restaurant again. The waitress was rude, snippy, and banged the dishes around like there were no customers. She acted as if she hates her job. She was also completely unappreciative of my request for no soy sauce, or any sauces with gluten. And though I chose from the menu very carefully, and did not add any soy sauce to my sushi, one type of sushi came with the vegetable pre-marinated in soy sauce. The waitress did not tell me this. I ordered it, ate one piece and immediately knew I was in trouble. And I was ... I will never eat at this restaurant again, and it is definitely on the list of celiac UNFRIENDLY restaurants in Mountain View.
(1)Rebecca S.
One of the few places in the area that actually has the little floating sushi boats, which I absolutely love. Seriously, if you're starving, it's amazing because you can just sit down and begin to nosh. One things thats not so great, however, is the cost of each little plate on the floating sushi boats. The price isn't as bad as some places I've been to, but I'm firmly against the idea that anyone pay upwards of $1 per piece for a California roll (thats not even real crab). That's just wrong. Plates run from $2 - $3.60, which is fantastic... just not when there are only 3 pcs of sushi on the plate. 4 plates (one of which was a small dab of seaweed salad) cost me $18 after tip. Quite the expensive lunch and I left hungry. Sad. On the flip side they have reasonable lunch specials, and apparently they discount the sushi boat plates to only $1.50 each (take out only) 30 mins before close (10pm). I have yet to partake in this super sweet deal, so I can't comment on the freshness at this late hour. I'm sure it's fine. I say go for it. Tea is complementary when dining in, which is also a huge plus.
(3)jessica s.
One of my personal favorite sushi places.. :) The staff knows me here seeing as I have been coming for a number of years. The food is always good and a great place to grab a quick lunch or dinner! :)
(5)Fanya B.
Delicious and relatively well priced Maki. Their sukiyaki is not very good though, it has cheap beef.
(4)Larry M.
Bad bad sushi is, well, bad. I was particularly turned off by this place as I was served a salmon roll that clearly was a day past 'fresh'. Yuk.
(2)AnnaLisa K.
The sushi is okay, the service is worse than any place I have ever gone. I've given this place multiple chances because it is so convenient, but the people that work there are horrible. I bring my friends there, they don't bring us menus, and just stare at us, like we are going to steal something. I don't hate any restaurant more then Sono Sushi.
(1)Jamie E.
So, it is not the the highest quality place. But, you go into there knowing that and everything is fine. I don't eat fish sushi, just avocado and cucumber etc. I have always liked their avocado and cucumber rolls. The miso soup is good as well. I like sitting at the counter and pulling my food off the boats. It's fun, cheap and simple.
(4)Chad S.
Came here for lunch and ordered mostly sashimi sushi and the taste was poor. Picked the items off the boats to save time so we could get back to work faster, but probably wont make the same mistake again. In the end, I spent about $20 (quite expensive for lunch) feeling disappointed.
(1)Art S.
Unfortunately, I have to disagree with one of my favorite yelpers Frances W.! I live right down the street from Sono, I LOVE SUSHI and I haven't been here in the last 6 years. Enough said. :-(
(2)Kelly M.
This is by far my fav sushi joint on the peninsula! I keep coming back for more of that sushi goodness that these pros keep dishin' out. Try the "E Box", it offers a perfect variety of the standard favs, including cali roll, tekka and unagi. I love everything that this place is about. Fresh sushi, fast service and they have a sushi boat bar for cryin out loud, doesn't get much better than that my friends. Try SONO - you just might fall in love too.
(5)Wendy T.
I thought Sono Sushi was decent tasting and good for the price, but that's because I have common sense. Let's start with that. a) If you walk into a sushi restaurant that is warm, you probably don't want to eat their raw fish. Warm = fish goes bad = you puke. Everywhere. So I decided to not have any raw fish, despite it being a sushi joint. b) Sushi boats spinning around with tuna that was starting to look old (not bright red anymore). Okay. This made me absolutely sure that I didn't want to eat any raw fish here. c) Based on A and B, I decided to have some generic non-raw rolls. California, avocado (my dinner friend is a vegetarian), Spider. They were pretty good! So 6 plates of sushi came to $18 or so. The service was a little rude, but since they're Chinese/Taiwanese, that's all the explanation I needed. Don't go here if you're stupid :)
(4)Leonid P.
Odrder sushi from them to-go ...THEY ARE SOOO GOOOD!!! Didn't seat inside but the sushi were amasing I had the E-Combo deal
(5)Barb B.
I have been taking my kids to this place since they were in diapers. Now, in their teens, they wolf down the ikura's and tobiko's like pros. I am surprised by the other reviews. All I have to say is that this place has been run by the same group of people for over 15+ years, they have always been super nice to my kids as they have seen them grow up into the towering behemoths they are, and the sushi is consistently good for the price you are paying. The teriyaki dishes are good too. Sure, its not in the greatest location, but its a great little place.
(5)Andrew D.
This place has always had really really good California rolls, among others, and a nice feel inside... but it's gotten prohibitively expensive!
(3)Naivette C.
This is a pretty well known and popular place to eat sushi when you are on Castro in Mountain View. I've always liked it, but it's not the best sushi. It is decent. People seem to love sushi boats. It makes no difference to me, but they are rather convenient. The workers are very friendly. They will even remember you if you go there or order from them frequently. They recognize my voice over the phone whenever I order to go. That was pretty cool. Again, it's good sushi, not great, but good. The prices are really reasonable. I recommend this place for anyone who wants sushi but doesn't want to pay a lot. It's worth the try. I especially recommend it for lunch. The place is small and closed Mondays. The workers are very accomodating. This is a good place to have inexpensive sushi. Down the street is a more expensive sushi joint and they aren't any better, just more expensive. So this is worth it. There is parking in front on the street or the back in a parking lot. You will have to walk through to Castro to get to the front door. It's not a long walk and not dangerous, not like a dark alley. This is good for families with children if they enjoy sushi. Again, the place is small so consider if you have a stroller or a hyper active child. If you do have a stroller, the front door is actually inside a bldg, so you can probably safely put the stroller just outside the front door. They also display their menu there before entering. Hey, maybe you can safely put your hyper active kid there too.
(3)Joshua W.
A neat little place to walk to for the sushi craving, I have been twice now and will continue to return. My absolute favorite....? The little tray of seaweed, oh and the spicy tuna. The folks are super nice and my water glass and tea cup are NEVER empty. Thank you!!
(3)Laura B.
This was a nice sushi place. They had a sushi boat, which had a few different types of sushi, but not a ton of variety. The sushi was good, but it really added up. I would come back for the good service, but I will keep better track of the amount I am spending.
(3)Danny Q.
Been here a couple of times, with many friends. I remember it was much better in the past. Maybe I have had better. Give it a try when ur near by but not the most authentic place for sushi. Stop being so snobby.
(3)eric k.
Yeah.. this blends in with the rest of the restaurants on Castro. Not bad... but not really good either. Is someone afraid to break out and have a REALLY GOOD restaurant on Castro? This place has actually been around for a while(at least 7 or 8 years by my guage) and has the little sushi-boat thing going on. I distinctly remember the california roll having a little extra mayo in it or something. Pricing wasn't bad.... but not a great deal either. Shrug... take it or leave it.
(3)Hilary S.
The last three times I've been there, they've been closed. This is because every other Monday night, I decide I want something cheap, light, and quick (and I don't do fast food). And every Monday night they are closed. So I show up, only to find their little neon sign off, and the door very firmly locked. I clearly lack the memory capacity to remember their hours (I think they also close at 9:30?), but perhaps if I constantly tell myself : no sono on Monday! no sono on Monday!"... I go back to Sono Sushi because of the sushi bar (the food itself is mediocre). I am an impulse eater and incredibly indecisive, so whenever I order something off a menu, I spend the next 10 minutes looking at other people's dishes and thinking "oh! I should have ordered THAT". At the sushi bar, you can see your food bobbing down a narrow canal, and just grab whatever looks good (as long as your neighbor to your left doesn't grab it first). The sushi bar also makes for much more communal eating--I sat next to a woman who did not remember me, but about halfway into my meal, I realized that I knew her...mostly because she was describing in detail the sexual preferences of a mutual acquaintance.
(2)buttercup r.
Pros: Picture menu Attempt at nice atmosphere $6 for veggie tempura lunch special Nice waitress Cons: Smells too much like fish inside Tacky duck decoy by fountain $12 for shrimp tempura, which is veggie tempura plus 4 pieces of shrimp EDIT: Came here for udon and it was really great. Lots of stuff in there, and only $9.
(3)Kim N.
Hmm sushi floating around in boats just isn't appetizing to me. I remember when the Scientology place next door was actually a post office branch so either way it was weird ambiance. Not recommended unless you can't get off of Castro street and have to eat and run.
(2)Dan R.
My girlfriend and I love this place. We have been going here for sushi ever since we met. They have fresh tasting sushi, and the price is average. We love to sit at the bar. The waitress are very helpful. I would definite recommend this place to my friends and family.
(5)Jennifer K.
Sure, the sushi on the boats is often repetitive and maybe a little old, but it's nice to order fresh sushi straight from the sushi chefs. Service is always fast and friendly. Spicy tuna rolls are good!
(4)Zach K.
Yelp told me to update my review so I will - I haven't been back here because I gave it two stars in the first place. Thanks for prompting me to revisit this, Yelp.
(2)Angie C.
A co-worker never been to a place with sushi boats, so we went and it was okay. Not fantastic, not horrible, just okay.
(3)Whitney B.
I probably go to Sono Sushi the most out of all the sushi options on Castro street. Not because it's the best, but for the price, it's decent sushi. Their selection is pretty decent (pretty wide variety of rolls and other sushi restaurant regulars)...I usually get a miso soup, a couple of rolls, and a seaweed salad. If you're in the mood for some basic sushi, but not wanting to pay a ton, this isn't a bad place to go.
(3)Lexie L.
the service was spectacular. the hot green tea, very good and free. their iced tea was completely unsweetened and they had no sweetners on hand, only pre-sweetened and waaay lemony iced tea. It was very cheap, but the serving sizes were so tiny. I spent 15 dollars and ate like 10 pieces of sushi. The fish wasn't the best I'd ever had (good thing technically none of it was raw). Also, their philly rolls (my favourite) had smoked salmon in them instead of raw, tasted more like a lox type roll which I wasn't expecting from an old standard. overall, I'd rather go elsewhere, spend the same amount of money and get better sushi and more of it too. stars for the service!
(2)Jennifer S.
Screw this place! Thanks for giving me food poisoning and landing me in bed with a fever for two days and ruining my Fourth of July weekend...
(1)Jessica C.
Went here once because my friend was tired of us always eating at Sushi Tomi. Boy were we disappointed. The food is just average. There's nothing that really stands out. The fish is just so so. I think it's kind of expensive for the quality of food served here.
(2)Ryan J.
Heres why sono gets 3 stars: Price. Probably the cheapest sushi joint at which I have had the pleasure of eating. They do cheap sushi boat sushi and do it well. If you just want some basic cheap nigiri, I would suggest coming here and grabbing a few without super high expectations. It's nice to come here if you need a quick, cheap lunch as well as the need to satisfy a sushi craving. Of course the fish isnt going to be on par with places like sushi tomi, but that is reflected in the price imo. This place seems to have a good idea of what they are and they do it well. I haven't been here in awhile, but only because I am so obsessed with sushi tomi.
(3)Doobie M.
i like this place pretty good sushi for the prices..
(3)Jen P.
A bit overpriced for the mediocre quality of sushi. My friends and I sat at the bar for the sushi boats and everything that went by looked so sad and I do remember seeing the same dish go by multiple times in the hour that we were there. There weren't too many people when we went on a Fri/Sat night (yea, not a good sign). The menu is color-coded and has pictures of everything for beginners, I guess that's a nice touch. I wouldn't say anything that I had was "good". It wasn't bad, but it wasn't worth the money I spent. I'd rather go to Tsunami over this place, but above all else, definitely Sushitomi around the corner.
(2)Christina P.
The idea of Sono is fun, the location is nice, right in downtown Mountain View. The sushi isn't to die for, but none of these kinds of sushi places are there for the absolutely out of this world sushi. The price isn't really worth it for the quality of sushi. If you feel like you want some good Japenese food try going to Sumika in downtown Los Altos.
(3)rosie d.
I'm really surprised to see so many bad reviews about this restaurant. I eat here often and the fish is always very fresh. The service can be a little overbearing when you are first seated. I mean, how many times will the waitress say, "Miso soup or salad, miso soup or salad, miso soup or salad?" before shutting up for two seconds to let you answer? But beyond that, I've always enjoyed coming here. Mind you, you will have to flag down a waitress to get your bill but I find that is the norm at most restaurants anyway. If you've never tried Sono's before, I would definitely recommend it.
(4)Anthony D.
Hmm. . .no one really seems to like this place that much. This leads me to believe that I am perhaps a horrible judge of sushi quality. I think this place is a great sushi establishment, overall. The Fried California Roll is probably the single best piece of sushi I've ever had in my life - it's golden and perfectly done, and the one item I must have every time I come. I've been here at least 10 times and never left unsatisfied. . . except for the time I went and they were closed. Bastards. They're closed on Mondays, so plan accordingly.
(5)Mae S.
The mirrors show the boats going the counter-intuitive direction. That's fun in itself. Also, I like spider rolls, seaweed salad, and many of the other sushi options here. Above all: service is good.
(4)Marisa and Chris H.
Sushi isn't the greatest in Mountain View, but we like this place. By MV standards the sushi is average, the service is average. Why do we still like it? Well we are a sucker for the boats and warm hand towels, they are just fun. Do not come near closing time though, if you do, you'll best order off the menu, cause there won't be anything worth eating on the boats near closing time. Cute enough for a date.
(3)Roxanne K.
Decided to eat here on a whim because a group of friends and I were pooped from a roadtrip down to Santa Barbara... Had a horrible experience...Not with the food, but with the service. The food wasn't worth the way we were treated. The server we had was so rude! We were a group of 6 (ranging from 18yo-24yo) and don't really have high expectations for excellent service. We got seated (if you're a group of 5 or more, I don't suggest eating here since they don't have much space, unless you don't mind eating at the bar, but that's not fun because you can't talk to anyone besides the person sitting next to you... Anyway- the server comes to take our order. I ask, "Can we split the checks?" Instead of a "Sorry, we don't", she lets out a big SIGH and rolls her eyes as she angrily flips the check over to a new piece of paper. OMG. strike 1. lol. Noticing that she's pissed, we try to make it easier to order, so we begin to call out the items by the designated code number (S-7, T-14) etc. etc. After the 2nd or 3rd roll, she stops us, and says very rudely, "Give me the names. I can't memorize the codes" OMG. Strike 2. Come on lady... dont' say that. write down the codes we're telling you, then look it up when you give the order. UGH. Our rolls come (not all at once) so we begin eating... They come out in small portions, so plates are accumulating at a high rate. She walks by and says, "Stack the plates. Saves space..." We agree. OK. she has some common sense. We start stacking the plates. THEN she walks by again 10 minutes later and yells at us for stacking the plates!!! She says because we split the checks we have to keep the plates separate. OK?!?! Crazy Lady. Strike 3!!! Fine, I get it that it's possible that some plates cost more than others, and we could have added some from the bar, but we didn't. And if we did, we wouldn't try to cheat you out of $2.50!!!! Ugh. By this point our entire group is so irritated by her. We ask for our check. It takes 20 minutes, no joke, before we get our check. I have NO idea why because I saw our server calculate how much we owed, but failed to give us the check...It wasn't even busy! I had to walk up to the manager or hostess, before the server gave it to us! Ugh. NEVER EVER GOING HERE AGAIN. I'm a pretty fair reviewer and if the food was good, I'd consider giving it 3 stars. But the alas, the food was not good for the price you pay (minus 1 star) and the service sucks (minus 1 star)... leaving me with my 1 star review of this terrible excuse for a restaurant. PRO: Cheap. cool pens. CONS: SERVICE
(1)Toni R.
My boyfriend and I went to this place one weekend that we were craving for sushi, hot sake and very cold sapporo. It's a combo that that we love. It's our first time to go to this place. Anyway, just as we enter the place. They were going to seat us in a very cramped 2 seat table. My boyfriend and I love to seat in booths. So we asked. The male manager answered ina rude way, "You can't. There's only 2 of you." We looked around and the place is really not full and even after we left. But we just obeyed as the cool people we are. We ordered our usual combo. When got our food and drinks, the Sapporo was not cold at all. The bottle was a bit cold but the beer was room temperature. We called our waitress and told her but she didn't want to take it back because her reason is "It's already opened". Of course!! Duh! She didn't seem to have a sense of "Good Customer Service". At all! I didn't think it was a language barrier at all. Just plain bad customer service. After much explaining to her, she took it back and took it out of our tab. The sushi and the chicken teriyaki was blah. The chicken was not well cooked and the fish was not as fresh as I was expecting. Anyway, bad service plus bad food - equals = I am never going back to this place. Specially when Tsunami is right around the corner who has so much better service, food and atmosphere. The good food is matched with staff making you feel so welcome and being so attentive.
(1)I P.
The quality of this place has gone way down since five years ago. And the chef will give you nasty stares if you bring in outside food. The staff is all Chinese too. :(
(1)John S.
This place is really cool. I love the little boats with the sushi that are going around. The Fish Cutlet, Soft Shell Crab and Shrimp Tempura are very good. The atmosphere is much better than some other sushi places and actually has real Japanese staff which is a big plus, makes the food much more authentic. Prices are very reasonable too.
(5)Kelly S.
Agreed. Not to sound like a broken record, but the sushi here is truly mediocre. Again, encounted another sushi joint with wrinkled sushi. Agadeshi tofu was almost unedible due to the texture. Dynamite roll bought a star otherwise.. i wasnt too impressed. The service was very kind though. Seated imediately and prompt with ordering. Tables are small, so you're better off sitting at the bar.
(3)David D.
I'm not the biggest fan of sushi boat joints, because you sometimes get served fish that's been circling the chefs for a while, and freshness is pretty crucial to all things squishy. But Sono Sushi isn't bad, and the service is better here than many places. Nice, clean restaurant; parking is trickier, but there's a good chance you're strolling Castro, anyway. This isn't my first choice for sushi by a long shot, but it's serviceable.
(2)Teresa M.
Not bad, but not great. Dining there before they close is not a good idea as most of the sushi you order is "straight off the boat" and has been sitting. That's the thing with sushi boats, unless you're there when it's busy and the chefs are constantly putting out fresh sushi, it'll dry out. Yuck! And the tempura is mediocre, as the batter is thick and not light as I'm used to from other sushi restaurants.
(2)Helmut W.
This place is fine. Good enough that I go here pretty regularly, about once a month. For me, it achieves the difficult balance between affordability and quality. Sure, you can get higher quality sushi if you pay a lot more. I've never gotten sick eating at Sono. I am a fan primarily of nigiri; the rolls are okay too.
(4)Heino K.
We are going to Sono Sushi for dining in but mostly take away about once a week in the last 12 months. No one of the family ever had stomach issues afterwards. So the fish cannot be that bad as some postings indicate. Is it a five star place, however? Certainly not. There are places where the sushi looks better (and also costs twice as much). So if you are looking for the best sushi in town and are willing to pay the price then this is not the right place. If you love sushi so much that you want to eat it every week without becoming poor, then Sono Sushi offers great value for the price.
(4)Ben B.
The food was not that bad but not that good. We were able to eat everything but for the price you pay I would not come back. I was with a group of 4 and we all said the same thing. There are so many other sushi places nearby. Try something else out.
(2)Yana M.
great place, sushi is good. just the right amount or rice. California rolls can get addicting...next thing you know you have 6 plates lined up. usually spend about $15 there.
(4)Martine S.
I like to sit at the bar with the little boats that go by. The sushi is surprisingly affordable & pretty darn good. I like the california rolls, but you could ask them to make a hand roll & its even better. It's not the classiest place, but it so works if you have a sushi craving. I've not ordered off the menu, only take off the boats. Owners & staff aren't always the friendliest, but they are a little more friendly when they get to know you.
(4)E. C.
Despite all the bad reviews, this place wasn't that bad. My friend and I came since it was still open late Sunday night, and we got sat at the sushi boat. The sushi wasn't amazing but it was fresh and good enough. We got tempera rolls, eel rolls, and mostly just the basic stuff. I didn't try any of the sashimi or menu items, but the stuff on the sushi boat was pretty good and filling if not a bit pricey-but then most sushi boat places are $$
(3)Dana L.
We came here on a saturday night - it was the only place we could get into without a wait (this is a familiar story in my life). In fact (like the place we inevitably end up at when we can' t get seated anywhere else), it was almost empty on a Saturday night. We noted this, but decided to come here anyways (red flag 1). At least they have sushi boats, we told ourselves (wait, is that a good thing?). So we sat down at the counter, and watched the sushi come by. I'm allergic to shrimp, so I examined the stuff pretty carefully. Considering that we were basically the only ones sitting at the boat, it seemed to be pretty old. Ate a unagi (at least it was cooked) - yep, old. After a while, we ordered one of the combination meals - a lot of food. Unfortunately, it was also pretty gross, even the cooked stuff. Fairly expensive for what you get. I have had much more fulfilling sushi meals for half the price (ok 2/3).
(2)Sammie B.
Went here a while back when I was craving sushi boat. I should have known the boats were bad when I saw barely no one sitting there and pretty much all the tables full. My bad. Still wasn't too bad, but not that good for the price.
(3)Naomi h.
my first time in mountain view!! and my last time for this restaurant... Food suck and service terrible.
(1)brenda b.
The fountain distracts the kids, so it keeps them entertained. Food on the other hand, is not very tasty, nor repulsive. It's usually very easy to find a seat there, so that's a plus. I guess this would be an okay "public place" to meet someone that you've just met. If the prospect doesn't cut the mustard, you could just walk a few steps away, and buy a book to entertain yourself, or to teach yourself a new skill.
(2)Anita L.
Lttle boats floating down this watery canal is the setting for plates of sushi bobbing up and down in front of diners waiting to be selected. Below average sushi -- chunks of tasteless fish on huge chunks of rice going around and around in circles just waiting to be eaten. The other stuff such as teriyaki chicken, tempura, noodles are also available, but in general, so-so.
(2)ConstantlyEating A.
The service is OK , the place has a cute interior but the food is very, very average. Miso soup was good. The salad sucked because they barely gave any dressing & the dressing was very bland. I ordered the D-Box which had very small pcs. of sushi & though the fish didn't feel or taste OLD, they weren't super fresh either & there really was no zing to their presentation. DO NOT be fooled by the pictures in the menu. What you get is nothing ilke that in size. I ordered uni but they were out so I settled for masago. We didn't have any complaints for the taste or quality of the food but I gotta think there have to be better sushi places in the area.
(3)Howard G.
This is the worst Sushi restaurant I have ever been to. The service was even worse then the food. I have eaten in many Sushi establishments and this ranks with the bottom. We had dinner on Monday night at 9pm, they close at 9:30, after taking a long time to order the RUDE Sushi chef started cleaning up loudly while we waited for our food. When a person in our party complained after getting old sushi and asked for fresh from the sushi chef, he grabbed it out of the frig and practically through it at him. The chef then kicked the refrigerator door shut out of anger. This guy is a complete a-hole. When I went to complain to the cashier, no manager on site, she was very nice and said this happens every night with this chef and she has told the owner about it to no avail. AVOID this place a all costs, old sushi and RUDE service, instead go to tomi sushi or Satumi.
(1)M. W.
the ambience is OK as many other sushi boat type restaurant. Like another review said, the boats are way too fast, even the sushi chef had a hard time to place dished onto a boat. Food are not fresh except the salmon. Tuna has colorant which shows on the rice. The chef recycled dishes quite often. I saw his took out a few "old" dishes and replace with different kind of food, but those old one stay behind the counter. one of the sushi chef skill is terrible, I just happened take a few classed to learn about Japanese food, so I realized the chef was being sloppy. Presentation of the sushi on a place is terrible.
(2)Mike C.
Very good food. I'm not the authenticity hound but for my tastes, it works. Chicken udon wassolid and the sushi I had was very good. Service is hit and miss but nothing terrible. Would definitely go again. It's a comfortable place to eat.
(3)Crystal K.
I'm surprised at the poor remarks of this place. I found this place (sushi boat bar) perfect for a famished, sit down, eat, pay, and run because I had to go ballroom dancing. The sushi was decent-- I mean, I had better, but I had much worse. The quality justified the price for the normal rolls. I think the specialty rolls got a little pricey-- since you only get 2 pieces at $3.50 or so. I went in on a Friday around 7 pm and the food was fresh, hot foods hot and cold foods cold. My tea was refilled constantly and the staff was friendly. My friend and I both ate to our fill at the sushi boats about 9 dishes, and the bill was $23 including tip.
(3)Barn M.
I love this place, although I haven't really had their sushi too much. Most of the time, I order their rice dishes and bowls. Their sukiyaki is among the best that I've had, so that's highly recommended.
(4)Donna W.
My 2nd sushi boat experience. The boats went around at a more reasonable pace than the ones did at my first experience (they totally zipped around you at this other sushi boat place in San Jose). I was excited they had seaweed salad and the tempura crab roll was good, the yellow tail was nice, too, but the rest was okay. There wasn't much variety on the boats (granted we were there at 2, so perhaps past peak sushi-making variety time). The plates are reasonably priced (from $1.45 to $3.50), so all in all for 5 items it was under $20, including a $3 tip.
(3)mea f.
could of been better, thought me and a friend give this place a try since tomi was packed!! probably would of had better luck there. sashimi was definitely not fresh... which was a major disappointment. overall experience was ok, nothing special or great.
(2)Fen Z.
I've only ever had the sushi boats here, which are mediocre. It's nice to have a sushi boat establishment close to Stanford, but the food just isn't super tasty.
(3)Carly M.
Not my sushi place of choice, but my boyfriend grew up two blocks away, so this is where he goes for "comfort sushi." As everyone else has mentioned, the service is quite plesant, and that usually a rarity at a sushi place. I had an "A" plate, which consisted of 6 california rolls, 6 tuna rolls, and 6 cucmber rolls for $7.95. It was a plenty of food and I thought it was a nice variety of rolls. No complaints on the tuna or cucumber rolls, but I thought the california rolls left much to be desired. The avocado tasted old, and looked a little brown. I left unsatisfied, as I usually do when I go there.
(2)Larry W.
This was simply the worst sushi place I've ever been to in my life. We went for Friday dinner, but early, before there were any crowds. We chose to sit at the sushi bar. The boats were floating by, but sushi going around on boats could have been there for hours and looked quite unappetizing. So we tried to order a spicy tuna roll, an unagi nigiri, and a saba nigiri. But the two men working behind the counter made it very clear that they had no interest in taking customer special orders, and that they expected you to eat the recycled sushi in the boats. Eventually we got one of them to make what we wanted. The unagi was cold. I think he went to the other side of the boats and picked one off a boat. It was dreadful and very small. The saba (mackerel) was simply the worst saba I've ever eaten. I think they must have bought it at Safeway or something. It was disgusting. The spicy tuna roll wasn't spicy and was a big piece of mush. We took out the menu, which shows a nice looking spicy tuna roll and compared. There was no comparison. Did I mention that the beer wasn't cold? So world's worst sushi, terrible, unfriendly service from the sushi "chefs" (I shudder to use that word to describe the person who made our sushi), warm beer....need I say more? Avoid this place like the plague. Wish I could give it less than one star.
(1)Jen Jen W.
hmm it was just a sushi boat going around...i've had better sushi at other places...not going back any time soon!
(2)Trung N.
I travel over 30 minutes just to eat at this place. If you're worried about how long the sushi have been floating on the boat, try this, order from the menu. They can and will make you fresh sushi and delivery it right to you. The quality is really good, better than some places I've eaten in SF and Burlingame and the prices is about half the cost as well. The service is really good as well, friendly staff there.
(5)Ginni S.
An average sushi boat bar that also offers table seating. The portions are actually quite small, compared to other sushi boat places I've been to. The quality is not up there, but it's not so bad that I would swear this off. The few times I've been there, there was no line so having to wait for a table has not been an issue for me. They have quite an extensive sushi and roll selection, so just request for a menu to order directly from the chef rather than wait for eons for it to show up on the boat...and then get snagged by someone else.
(3)Owanda G.
Chinese run sushi joint located in a somewhat ambiguous place off Castro St . Good place for a quick stop when you're hungry. Food is so-so, prices fairly cheap ( but like all sushi boat prices, prices can add up quickly), you can usually find parking and you can be out of there in 15 mins.
(2)Blue G.
Jeez the reviews here are bad. I actually like this place. The food is good and the fish fresh. The boats get lots of traffic so there's constant re-filling with different stuff. You can get a colorful menu with pictures and descriptions in English of every fish and dish, and actually know what you're eating, or what the guy next to you is eating that's looking so good.
(4)Cathie M.
I have definitely had better, but I have also had worse. We sat at the sushi boat, which was fun. The Unagi was pretty good, but the red snapper was pretty tasteless. It was cheap and fast which is good. It gets pretty busy on Saturdays and the place is really small. If you get in before 7pm, you can get a table and a place at the boat. Be careful, we were there for about an hour and some of the rolls and sushi were on there the entire time. That makes me a little nervous, since it's fish.
(2)Jade D.
how should i say about this restaurant? the owner obviously is a chinese and making japanese food. you know like what we call the "american chinese food", "american japanese food" in states. just dont taste like 100% japanese food. not bad but not excellent. that's it.
(3)Ruth R.
I would say this is a good place to eat sushi if you are in a rush (15 min break) There is hardly ever a line, the food is good & cheap.
(3)Susan D.
Awesome sushi at a good price. They occasionally leave sushi on the boat too long. We were fortunate enough to have Sono cater our Oscars party this year. The sushi trays were beautiful and everyone raved.
(4)Alan D.
Hey, no frets here. Their lunch menu is pretty damn good. Upon entering, you MAY notice that this place looks pretty big... but it's the damn mirrors that throw you off! (This review is strictly based on their lunch menu, not their sushi by the way!) Anyways, when you order the lunch menu, you will receive the traditional salad and miso soup. Their salad dressing was pretty good, but their miso was a bit off. It tasted sort of bland, the seaweed tasted really icky too. Anyways, the reason why I give this place three stars is because when their lunch comes... it takes a while for some reason. The teriyaki chicken tasted fantastic, and so did their chicken katsu, however the price just didn't justify it, and the portions didn't match the cost in my opinion. Great atmosphere -- especially within the confines of Castro street, great service with the exception of the food being brought out really slow. I'd come back if I'm in the mood for a great lunch... I just have to have time.
(3)Vincent Y.
Been going to this place since I was in high school. The quality of sushi is always really fresh and I even brought my family here and they really liked it! The place is owned by an adorable Asian family and the atmosphere is super friendly. I always look forward to eating here when I visit from college and would DEFINITELY recommend it. Plur.
(5)Patricia V.
I went here for lunch with my daughter. I'm not much of a sushi eater but what we ordered was good. I especially liked the shrimp tempura rolls. Small pond in the restaurant and it was really cool to see sushi boats going round and round at the counter.
(3)David L.
The customer service is pretty much the worst I've seen in many years. There was absolutely no one in the restaurant but the host refused to let us sit in a booth. We sat next to the water fountain. While it was nice but the water kept splashing onto us. The staff is less than friendly. The dishes had small pieces of dried food from previous uses. The food looked less than fresh. Just all around bad experience-eat here only as the last resort.
(1)Debbie O.
Don't even bother. I am kicking myself for even going to this place when I knew it only had 3 stars. There is a reason for that. I was just too lazy to stand in line at Tomi so we tried this one instead. The fish is not fresh. They bought my plate out about 15 minutes before anyone else at the table so I was left staring at it so as to not be rude. The lady taking our order was not knowledgeable about the menu or the food at all. We asked her what a certain sauce was (I'm forgetting the name) and she told us it was Soy Sauce. We googled it and found out it's a mayonnaise based sauce. You could tell that one of the rolls were made ahead of time and refrigerated. It tasted like fridge. Can't really saying anything good about the place. Really, don't even bother.
(1)A C.
So disgusting. This place is forever going downhill with no hopes of working their way back up. The agedashi tofu was Inedible as was simple Inari. Never coming back again!!!!!!
(1)Lai H.
Edamame was soggy. Waitress was kind enough to heat it up for us, but that doesn't really un-sog the food. I ordered Chirashi and all the sashimi was old. I've had plenty of sushi and sashimi from super markets that were better. Service was good, but food was just absolutely terrible.
(1)Tony K.
This is my second time in this joint. First time it was decent, the Sushi Chef was nice and very accommodating. Food is okay, but it's fast and not too packed. I wanted to get something light and went there for take out today. I ordered just two rolls - tamago and a futomaki roll. I know the owners and workers are Chinese because I speak the language. When the sushi was done, the owner at the register actually TOOK THE BOX back. The reason was the Chef put in 6 pieces of futo maki instead of 4. The chef said -- "I sliced it a bit thin, that's why I gave him 6", the owner still made him take two pieces out, put it on the sushi boat, and gave me these 4 pieces that are basically like 5 mm thick (thin). If they're so damn cheap on futomaki rolls (which is basically a veggie roll), what else are they going cheap on?
(1)Kunal N.
This sushi bar is good but nothing special. It's a good place to come for standard sushi but as a California native, I am picky about my sushi and there are definitely other places that are better quality. I guess the thing that bugs me (and hence one star being taken off) is that for the price I paid, I definitely expected more of said quality at this place. I got the lunch special combo with the California roll and Tuna roll (two common sushi dishes that help me test whether a sushi place is good), miso soup and salad, and shrimp/vegetable tempura. I am not crazy about teriyaki bbq so I didn't order any teriyaki dish and so maybe those dishes are good, I don't know. The salad was a little pathetic but it was a small side dish so I can't really be hard on them for it. The miso soup was good but again, nothing special. The tempura was pretty good, but... it's really hard to mess up tempura... but it was still good nonetheless! Now as for the sushi, the biggest factor that make/breaks it is the freshness quality, and... unfortunately... my sushi didn't pass the test. The seaweed definitely tasted a day or two old and made a huge impact on the overall sushi taste (like I said, picky sushi eater here), which is why I am deducting another star. The tuna tasted fresh, however, sushi is about the overall freshness, not just one ingredient so it didn't make me overlook the day-old seaweed. Overall, a good meal but not the greatest. Likewise, the decor/setting also barely passes the test for this place. They have carpeted floors, very unusual in a sushi bar and even moreso because they have a small waterfall fountain in the corner, which feels very weird. In addition, to enter this place, you have to go through an office building-like entrance, which is not very appealing. Three stars: a place to go to because it's nearby my work and so it's worth going for a quick lunch, but definitely not one of my favorites if I am looking for good sushi.
(3)Ellen L.
***2.5 stars*** i wanted to try this place since they have the "floating" sushi, and i haven't been to that many places that offer this option/display, so the concept really intrigues me. although the display is always fun to watch, and part of the fun is figuring out what pieces of fish are floating by my eyes (and mouth), i did wonder how long the sushi had been out, floating around in circles. i picked the following plates as they passed me by: 1. california roll - this was ok, standard roll, definitely on the dry side. 2. chicken teriyaki roll - not one of the usual/standard rolls, so decided to try it. it was just ok, again, on the dry side. 3. salmon salad roll - triangles of toasted rice, with salmon inside. not bad. 4. eel avocado roll - i had asked the chef for this roll since i didn't see it on the floats, so he made it for me on the spot. this is probably why this was the best of the bunch, good and smooth with fresh tasting unagi. the four plates of sushi totaled a little over $12, a fair price for what i got. as a whole, the sushi here is fair to average, it really just depends on which sushi you pick and how long it's been sitting out there, which you have absolutely no control over. service was good since it was pretty empty, so i basically had the waitress and sushi chef all to myself.
(2)Lisa T.
Came here because my friend's family likes this sushi restaurant, especially the boats and so we met for lunch and sat at the boat, in front of one of the sushi chefs. It was interesting to watch the sushi being assembled, but it didn't look as high quality as I would have wanted. The choices floating around were actually a little boring, but I guess you need to know what types of special rolls they offer. By the time I finally thought of it, I was full. The miso soup was typical, except that the seaweed or tofu was not skimped on. I sincerely doubt I'd come back, unless my friend wanted to go there again because there are so many better sushi restaurants to choose from in Mountain View & Los Altos.
(3)Briget P.
Went here for lunch and ordered one of their combination specials for ~$13. Terryaki chicken, spicy tuna rolls, miso soup, and side salad -- everything separately arranged on its own plate, which I thought was cute. I enjoyed everything and liked that they offered nori seasoning for the rice.
(3)Rina M.
Where to start? This place is horrendous! 1) soggy edamame - this is so easy to fix, i don't know why its a recurrent issue 2) low quality fish/borderline inedible rolls - freshness aside, even the rice and composition of the rolls were terrible. I tried the plum/cucumber roll, spicy hamachi, inari (only redeeming thing about this place), and teriyaki tuna roll (disgusting). I was looking forward to trying a variety of rolls because they had so many small samples but the quality was truly abysmal. Stick with Niji or Sushi Tomi, kids!
(2)Alice C.
reasons why sono is no bueno: 1. edamame fail- the edamame were overcooked and rottenly soggy. how do you mess this up? 2. sashimi fail- the sashimi pieces were thicker than my big toe! sashimi aint filet mignon. 3. green tea ice cream fail- not authentic. the green tea ice cream looked radioactive and didn't taste good. 3 major fails for the preparation. didn't leave sono sushi with good impression. i just feel like everything was not prepared delicately to represent japanese delicacy.
(2)Kristine D.
This place has by far some of the tastiest sushi I have ever encountered! It tempts you from every boat that sails by. And if you are not quick enough to grab the roll or morsel you desired, it beckons to you as it turns the curve up the waterway making your mouth water and your senses hope that it will return to you once again. Yes, it is the siren's call in a sushi port! Alright enough nonsense and sake! If you are coming here, you must try the seaweed salad, then move onto the salmon skin temaki and don't miss out on the baked mussels! All were fantastic! Word of warning: Go in with a sushi strategy because you could very eat your way through your sushi budget very quickly! Fishing off sushi boats is an expensive habit so savor and enjoy it! Sono Sushi has a casual atmosphere. The staff is nice and if nothing floating by on the boats tickles your fancy, they are happy to take a special request so don't be shy! The menu has assorted sashimi, combination boxes and tempura to choose from. I can't get off the sushi long enough to really hone in on them though. I just may have an addiction problem! Uht oh!
(5)Andrea R.
I love this place. I have been a costumer for a few years now and I still think its fantastic. I rarely get sushi from the boats because it's always better to order directly from the chef and have it fresh. The chicken teriyaki, chicken kastu and the kabobs are really tasty. I've tried about 60% of the sushi menu and the Chef is always willing to give suggestions depending on what you like. I've never had a bad bite here. Everyone is always friendly and my tea cup is always full. The decoration works and gives it an ok vibe. Pricing is reasonable. Dinner for two it usually ends up around $35, but it can obviously escalate fast.
(4)Jessie L.
sushi's alright here. nothing great but definitely satisfies a sushi craving. prices aren't too bad, but ive had better for cheaper. i love the sushi boat bar though
(3)Swaffisk C.
love it
(4)Kelly C.
I've experienced better but this place is A-OK so 2 1/2 stars? I had a really hard time swallowing the ika sushi... it wasn't fresh for sure. Overall, decent sushi...I'm sure there's better for less. The sushi plates ranges from $2-$4.. not exactly cheap for that quality. Probaby will never come back again unless forced.
(3)LaLande S.
I love Sono sushi! Other places are bland, disappointing, rubbery, overpriced. Not Sono Sushi! This is my go to for sushi. There is a sushi boat, the servers and chefs are nice, the cashier could be friendlier. The miso soup is yummy, tempura is good, and sushi is great!
(5)Golda R.
This place is great if you're starving and want to eat right away. My husband and I always eat around the sushi boats and we always get the salmon or tuna sashimi. Sometimes we get some eel, but other then that the sushi rolls are the same as other places. I've eaten at Sushi boat and this place is A LOT fresher. Sushi boat sashimi is nasty. The rice is hard and the sashimi is a rubbery texture. My one debby downer comment would be its easy to rack up a $50 sushi bill for 2 at this place.
(4)Harish D.
The meso soup was fantastic. So were the tempuras. My wife, a vegetarian, enjoyed her avacado mango too sushi too! If you go half hour before closing, you can get all the Sushis on the boat for a dollar!
(4)Sandy F.
After a long day, my family and I decided to head towards downtown mountain view to look for food and decided on sushi. Most places were closed on sunday so we decided on sono. It was kind of a special dinner for me as this was my baby brother's treat to us for getting his first job. All I can say is, this dinner disappointed me. My mom ordered the unagi rice, her boyfriend ordered the chicken katsu, my brother ordered the grill mackerel, and I ordered California roll and volcano roll. First thing that came first, California roll. I was shocked to say the least. They only have me 3 tiny pieces. I was expecting at least 4 pieces. But given the price at $2.80 and this place being Chinese owned, not surprised. Then my volcano roll came. 6 pieces, again very tiny. I noticed the fish inside the roll had little to none. Very sneaky because this roll was covered in sauce so you can't tell. Not very good either. I was expecting a little spice from the name of the dish. My mom complained that her rice had way too much overly sweet teriyaki sauce and I noticed her rice was drenched with the sauce underneath the unagi. The chicken and mackerel were fine. Or maybe the guys were just too hungry to care. So everyone was full, I was still starving and my family urged me to order something else. I kind of didn't want to because I was already disappointed enough. But against my judgement, I ordered the veggie udon. Like I expected, disappointment. It wasn't that good and I didn't even finish it. Also, when I was there, only one other table was present and the other table' s occupants were all there. So I headed for the bathroom and it was locked. Ok, so I stood outside and waited. After two mins I felt stupid for standing there so long so I went back to my table. It turned out a waitress was in there doing her makeup. How do I know? She came out busy looking at herself in the mirror and fixing her eyeliner... I know it's slow but come on. Do those things on your own free time and get out of the bathroom for your paying customers to use. When the bill came, I was shocked and felt sorry for my brother. The bill was over $80. For this kind of low quality food and skimpy portions? Never again. If anyone thinks about coming to this place, I hope you will just take the extra few steps across the street to the ramen shop instead.
(2)K C.
The sushi is good but the miso and salad are not. Also the sushi chef is extremely friendly and catering to your sushi needs. I'm not big on the wasabi on the sushi rice under the fish though. Just my opinion.
(2)Paul K.
Meh. Really, nothing to say but meh. Should have realized this when the restaurant was relatively open on a Friday lunch. Meh. Meh. Meh.
(3)Jared S.
Horribly over-priced and small portions. Their sushi is un-impressive at best and costs upwards of a dollar a bite (not a roll, a bite). The food that was supposed to be hot was cold, and the flavors were lacking. I probably should have known when we walked in during lunch hour on Friday and there was one other table occupied in the entire restaurant.
(1)Yi Z.
I've been eating at Sono since I was an uninformed teenager. Back in the day, I didn't know good sushi from bad and I thought Sono was just fine. Now, I do have to admit that the raw fish quality at one of my favorite places is rather low. I mean, the tuna that I had tasted like blood. The spicy tuna roll was seasoned oddly. After those 2 failures, I wasn't about to take another chance. Despite the poor fish quality, I am giving Sono Sushi 3 stars because they have THE BEST Shrimp Tempura Roll. The key is to make sure you get one that is fresh. Don't take it from the boats; get one made especially for you. Those who know me know that I absolutely despise "krab with a k." 90% of "Shrimp Tempura Rolls" I've had over the years have been a variation of the California Roll. But the STR here is not filled with fake krab. It's very simple but the radish sprouts add an awesome bit of spiciness to the roll. Just stick with the STR at Sono and you'll be fine. By the way, I love watching the boats go around. I've tried to count the boats numerous times but I've always lost track. Let me know if you figure out how many there are.
(3)Gloria K.
Phenomenal tuna! Wowowee wow! Absolutely love love love this place. I've lived in L.A. And have become to really good sushi. Since moving back in 2005, I haven't (until now) found great sushi up here in mountain view or Palo alto. I highly recommend Sono sushi. Great variety, incredibly fresh sushi. Menu includes other great options other than sushi. The service is great: expedient, and friendly. Prices are very reasonable considering it is silicon valley. Here is a great true story. My sister who has never been a "sushi" person, was raving about it to my other sister- the family sushi gourmand and who introduced all members of my large family back in the 80's. Finally got around to taking Marie the gourmand. She said best tuna ever. Also we are both crazy about the tofu appetizer!
(5)Ilya K.
Went there last night with my friends. Pretty horrible, I'd say. What a shame this place serves such mediocre food in a such a competitive neighborhood. The assortment of food floating around on the boats was small and dreary. Almost nothing enticing, with microscopic amounts of poor quality fish, many items seemingly withered from floating around for too long. What a waste of a beautiful evening, will never go there again.
(2)Jennifer Y.
The raw fish here is always so fresh, and the fried rolls are delicious too. Really nice service too; folks are genuine and caring. Always sit at the sushi bar... you can order food from the menu still.
(5)Trevor M.
These reviews were written by four of my third grade students after our field trip on Wednesday, April 30, 2014... I would strongly recommend Sono Sushi for three reasons. To begin, the restaurant has nice decorations. One decoration I saw were the Japanese cats. Sushi boats were another nice decoration I saw. There was even a fountain near our table. To add to that, the food and drinks are awesome. I ate chicken teriyaki, and it was yummy. The iced tea was great. I also ate miso soup that I enjoyed. To close, the wait staff is really helpful. They are really nice and kind. My group had two waitresses. They also carried our food carefully. As you can see, I strongly recommend Sono Sushi. By the way, my rating is 5 gold stars. Try there chicken teriyaki! -- A.T. I would recommend Sono Sushi for three reasons. First of all, they have very good food. I had some seaweed salad for $2.85. I also had a salmon skin temaki for $3.20. The food is worth the money. After that, I would recommend going there because of all the decorations. There is a fountain there as well as some boats carrying food. There are also a bunch of fake cats. Last but not least, it is very peaceful. The mirror is so clean (until I touched it, that is). It was also really quiet too. Clearly, I recommend Sono Sushi. -- E.M. I would recommend Sono Sushi for many reasons. To begin, I would like to talk about the food. There are a lot of choices, but I got the thing that I always get - the avocado maki. I would recommend it because it does not take them long to make it. The food was served on cool-looking plates, and each menu item was on a different plate, and each plate represented how the food cost a different amount of money. For example, if your food was served on a brown plate, it would be $2.50. Some food was served on ships at the bar. Next, I would like to tell you about how it looked inside. You can tell that it is a Japanese restaurant because there are Japanese pictures everywhere. There is also a fountain. The fountain has a lot of pennies in it because people put them in to make wishes. To close, I would like to tell you about the noise level. It was not loud at all inside. There were not a lot of people in there, so it made for a quiet lunch. I liked the quiet atmosphere a lot. As you can see, I would give Sono Sushi 5 stars. :) :) :) :) -- N.W. I would recommend Sono Sushi a little bit for three reasons. First, the menu had lots of choices. It took me three minutes to choose my food. It must've had at least one hundred choices! Second, my food looked really easy to cook, but the chef put on too much sauce! Also, if it was easy to cook, then why did it take twelve minutes?! Finally, the food there is cheap. The tax and tip were tiny. I got two teriyaki chicken rolls, green tea ice cream, and water for $9.19! Well, $9.19 is with tax and tip without them it is $8.45. Water is free! Woohoo! As you can see, I rate Sono Sushi 3 out of 5. P.S. Never go into the mens bathroom! It's too stinky. P.P.S. Why do they have sushi if they are So No Sushi? -- Z.S.
(4)Peter B.
Sometimes it's more about the experience for me than the food. I liked the sushi and enjoyed lunch but I LOVED the boat game. Grabbing sushi as it goes round is fun... ...yeah I'm a tourist.
(4)Jamie C.
I only eat the sushi here (as opposed to the hot food) but prefer to order them off the menu so they're freshly made. The ones that stand out for me are Ika sushi and the Ebiani rolls (California rolls topped with a piece of cooked shrimp and mayo). I call them Christmas rolls because they look so festive!! All their other sushi are not bad. The hot food dishes on the other hand, are not so good. The one time I ordered the teriyaki chicken will also be the last time. I've never had chicken like that before. I think they boil it or something but it was pasty white and rubbery and then they slap the teriyaki sauce on it and ta-daaaa, it's supposed to be a meal. I feed my dogs better chicken than this. Their tempura is just ok. I don't love it. There are usually 2 or 3 guys making the sushi and even though we've been here quite a number of times, they don't ever smile or acknowledge us so that's a no-no for me. I just don't get people who work in the customer service environment and have no people skills.
(3)Laura P.
This place is never crowded, which is probably the first indicator about how good it is. I've been here several times (probably 5-10) and have never been "amazed" over their sushi. It is cheap, but that's about the only good thing. It seems like the sushi sits out on the boats for awhile and I'm honestly not sure if they ever take the old ones off during the dinner hours. I like ordering from the Chef because then I know that it's fresh. The service here is decent. They greet you when you walk in and offer you a hot towel as you sit down. The restaurant is small so it's not hard to get the check when you are done. One thing that deters me from going here is that a few times after eating at this location my friends have gotten sick (as in stomach and intestine issues). I'm not sure if it was food poisoning or something else, but it seemed to happen multiple times and shortly after eating. I don't remember ever having a problem personally, but I have a sensitive stomach so I'm not sure if I would want to risk it. Considering all the other sushi places nearby, I'd rather just go somewhere else.
(2)Michelle W.
I do not have the best track record with sushi boat places, but the entertainment value for lunch with my 6-year-old won out over past experience. In one sense this place is pretty typical of sushi boat establishments. It is not the best quality sushi. If you look closely at the two or three pieces on any plate, you will notice they are uneven. One of my pieces actually fell apart because the nori was not wrapped all the way around. And the slices of fish are ridiculously thin, giving the illusion of nice portions, but the reality of a rice-fish imbalance. The plate range is from $1.75 to $3.50, which seems reasonable until it takes 5 or 6 plates and a salad ($3.50) to be satisfied. All of a sudden it's kind of a pricey lunch. On ther other hand, we had a great time here. We sat near the sushi chef, who made it a point of paying some attention to my daughter,. She, shockingly, agreed to try new kinds of sushi. She now has 3 that she likes: advocado, ebi & unagi. She does NOT like the smoked salmon/cream cheese combo they had. The flavors of the sushi were decent and I did not get a sodium/msg reaction. We would go back here.
(3)Sam S.
I come here more for the experience than for the quality of food. I love the sushi boats that circle the bar, and it's fun watching the different types go by and grabbing what you want. It's also good because you can spend as little or as much as you want. There isn't a lot of variety on the boats, and oftentimes you'll see a few iffy-looking rolls or sushi go around for a while until they're eventually picked up or removed. The mango avocado roll here is one of my favorites, and the picture menu is also nice for figuring out what's on some of the plates going around.
(3)Edward Y.
Miso soup was good with a healthy amount if tofu. The salmon nigiri was pleasant along with a reasonably fresh taste along with the tuna roll. The spicy tuna roll was a little too creamy in texture. Overall, Sono is a decent place to grab some sushi, but not a place to go out of your way to check out.
(3)Melissa G.
Sono Sushi is one of my favorite restaurants on Castro Street. It has friendly staff and a very tasty selection of sushi. My favorite sushi roll at any of the local sushi places is their Mango Tango roll.
(5)Heather F.
The reason I give this 3 stars is because of the size of there sushi rolls and selection. This place is definitely a sushi boat type of place, they have a wide selection on the boat but not a lot of actual specialty rolls. I recently went and ordered the salmon sashimi and wasn't impressed in the thickness of the fish. It was tasteful and fresh but it could have been cut better. I ate 9 pieces very quickly and normally I am full as well. There cooked dishes are ok, nothing to ride home about. We always ask for the sauces on the side because they tend to over do it with sauces. There salad dressing isn't as good as I would like it to be. The main reason we keep going back is because they are quick and around the corner from our house and is good on my stomach.
(3)Jesse C.
This is the best place to go for sushi when you're in Downtown Mountain View. They have two seating arrangements, at the tables or at the sushi bar. If you choose the tables you are offered a menu and you basically order. If you choose the sushi bar you are seated in the middle where sushi boats continuously circle around and you pick up whatever you want to eat. depending on the sushi type your entree can range from $2-11 so choose wisely. Sushi on the boats however are not fresh unless you see the chef place them out so if you want guaranteed fresh sushi order from the chef yourself. The sushi here is excellent, definitely one of Mountain Views best sushi restaurants. It's also a good place for business lunch's and dates.
(4)Mercy B.
Used to come here often way back in my pre-Yelp days. It was the lunch hour and we had my grandbaby in tow. We were hungry, in downtown Mountain View and happened to be across the street from Sono Sushi. I figured - "What the heck! Haven't been there for a while. Let's give them another try!" We were seated at the sushi bar. The hostess and waitstaff were accommodating and helpful with getting me, S and the grandbaby settled - bringing us miso soup with extra tofu and rice so that the baby could start eating right away. S ordered from the menu and I decided to pick items off the sushi boats. The food was okay - but I couldn't say "Wow - that was great!" Everything seemed to have avocado in it with the exception of the inari sushi. Hmmm - not much imagination to their sushi selection and not much to really get excited about. We'll be back - but it may take while before we return.
(3)Sexy R.
Service was terrible. The portions were small, such as three-piece spider roll, where any other sushi place would be five pieces. Tiny portions of wasabi and Ginger, and hard to get more. There are much better sushi restaurants and this place should close. Se-se sensei says ichi (1) star.
(1)Tatiana M.
I have a fond memory lunch at Sono Sushi a few years back with a friend. We sat in front of the sushi chef as he kept loading a steady stream of fresh fish onto the sushi boats. We racked up quite a bill for such a reasonably priced restaurant and it was worth every penny. That was then. Last night (full disclosure, it was Sunday 9pm) was a different story. The boats are still there but there was no fresh fish I could see. Was the sushi chef taking a break? He was in his usual spot but this time he sipping a red bull and occasionally taking the random sushi plate off the boat. I had 4 plates. All looked and tasted old. I got a stomach ache shortly. Funny how the quality of the food made the floating sushi boats go from seeming charming to gimmicky.
(1)Dovile T.
I love this place! Always fresh and affordable so I dont know what people are complaining about! I love their sushi and they are so friendly there, a lot of times we just order and pick up. I think people should try this place out it is worth it! Best sushi I have tried in Mountain view
(5)Linda F.
I ordered a 12 piece $20 sashimi combo - soup/salad/rice cost $3.50 extra. I also don't eat carbs, and every other sushi place I've ever been to has been extremely accommodating about substituting a second salad in place of the rice - not this place. So I figured, if their "combo" wasn't really a "combo" and still cost so much, the quality must be good or the portions large, right? Wrong. The coloring of the tuna looked very very wrong and the salmon were about half a centimeter thin. Do yourself a favor and go to Sushi Tomi or Niji Sushi if you find yourself wanting sushi on Castro. There's a reason those places have 4 stars and this place only 2.5
(2)Chris L.
meh it was decent sushi. its in a strange location would never know where it was if i wasnt taken there. tempura was good, but what fried roll isnt? the rolls were decent. huge menu.
(2)Mark R.
Sushi perched on boats Tasty food and nice decor Gloomy sushi chefs
(3)Denise C.
Well, I was pretty much starving as soon as we arrived in Mountain View, since Ryowa was packed my boyfriend and I decided to walk around to see if there was anything good to eat. We stumbled across Sono Sushi, and decided to take a chance at it. The sushi was okay, extremely sweet, and my tempura udon was tasty. The atmosphere is pretty quiet and I love the decorations.
(3)Michael G.
Food and service was good. I ordered the "super" rainbow roll so I was expecting it to be either bigger or different compared to a standard rainbow roll however didn't seem any different and seems like the price was higher than other places that I go to. Fish was fresh. I like that I didn't have to wait like other places in Downtown! I would come back here again.
(3)Shanna K.
I've been here two or three times with friends over the years and I'm usually hopeful but seriously disappointed every time. This last time was the proverbial straw. We got a table and, as others have stated, service has always been fast (almost rushed) at first.. but then no where to be seen until you have to flag them down for the check. My friends ordered maguro sashimi, shitake roll and ebi sunomono. The ebi looked absolutely terrible. Limp, waterlogged, and not at all fresh. They also went over and helped themselves to a couple of things on the boats and the tobiko looked awful, to me. Just kind of ...tired looking. If you've eaten in enough good Japanese restaurants you can just tell the difference. I ordered one pair of fresh salmon nigiri and beef sukiyaki. The sukiyaki was piping hot and satisfying enough on a cold winter night bit it was too much on the sweet side and there were not nearly enough vegetables in it for me... a few sad button mushrooms and onions does not a sukiyaki make. More importantly, I was mortified to find out that for my salmon nigiri order they simply walked over and pulled it off the boats. Blech. There is a reason I don't sit at the sushi boat bar. I never know how fresh it is.. and this did not taste fresh. I would have protested, but I didn't find out until afterward when my friend told me she watched them do it. I like to live on the edge and I looooove sushi but when it comes to raw fish I don't take chances. I only want the best quality. I will NOT be returning.
(1)Adrienne M.
Wow, I'm really surprised by the super low Yelp rating! Normally I avoid places that have less than a 3 star rating on Yelp, but after tonight's fancy dinner plans fell through because I had to work late, my bf & I found ourselves starving and in downtown Mountain View looking for a place to eat. We decided to just walk around and look at menus, and we were drawn here (mostly by cheap prices). We didn't actually have traditional sushi/sashimi (with raw fish), but we were very happy with our food, and the price is definitely right. My boyfriend had beef teriyaki, which he was very pleased with. I was personally impressed not only by the prices, but also the wide variety or rolls, especially rolls that were veggie-only or had cooked meat in them. I don't eat raw fish for health reasons, and there were so many wonderful sounding rolls that I wanted to order. I settled on avocado rolls (a classic that you can get everywhere), sweet potato & zucchini tempura rolls (very unique roll), and chicken teriyaki rolls (also pretty unique). All were good (although the avocado was very small, but also very cheap, only $2) but I was especially impressed with the tempura veggie roll - I don't even like sweet potatoes very much and I loved it. I always crave tempura at sushi places but don't want a full order of it because it's pricey and I fill up on it, so this was a great balance. I can't comment on most of the rolls, but this is really a great place for fans of vegetarian and cooked sushi, since there's a HUGE variety of that. I do agree that service is poor - we had to ask for the check several times & the waitress basically yelled at my boyfriend. But for a place that is comparable price-wise to Sushi Tomo in Palo Alto, I think the quality of the food is very good. I'm also not sure why people hate on sushi boats so much, I think they're cool! My boyfriend and I will most likely be back.
(4)Sharon P.
When my family wants sushi boat, we come here, and we have been coming here for over 12 years. One of the chef, who had been here all these years, knows what we like and always brings out the freshest sushi for us without us even asking! Try their Unagi handroll, it is the best you can find.
(5)David L.
Fun place for family, but the quality has gone down over the past few years.
(3)Kathy L.
I love sushi boats and I had been craving sushi since lunch so I thought this was a great choice for my mom and me to have dinner at on her first night in visiting for the weekend. The rolls were so-so and though it felt like they had a limited selection coming around on the boats, when we perused the menu, pretty much everything on there we'd seen floating by us already. The only things we ordered that weren't on a boat were a salmon skin and spicy tuna handroll, which were a little better than so-so, but still not that great. Edamame were way overcooked and mushy. Plates range from $2-3 so it wasn't a very expensive meal - but then again, I'd had a late lunch and my mom eats very little, so it may be more expensive for others/if you're really hungry.
(2)Fay C.
The sushi is OK, but for this price, I expect better food. The environment and the service is good.
(3)Zac G.
DO. NOT. GO. HERE. This was some of the worst sushi I have ever had. My friends always said "there is no such thing as bad sushi in California," clearly they have never been to Sono Sushi in Mountain View. - ALL of the nigiri was warm - The yellow tail was oddly pink and cloudy - the unagi squished and fell apart when you picked it up with chopsticks Yikes, I'm amazed this place is still in business.
(2)Efi S.
Love sono sushi!!! Yes, the fish may not be the freshest... Yes, their service may not be the friendliest... Yes, the decor may not be the last word of restaurant interior design... But, it does have a cozy feeling to it, and the sushi IS delicious, and I like seating at the bar waiting for the little surprise boats to come by with goodies on them! Yay! for sono sushi!
(5)Josh F.
Be sure to buy a boat to take home with you. The going rate is $30.
(5)Frances W.
My dear fellow yelpers-- Okay, FORGET everything I've said before. Please, let me spare your buttholes and prepare you for what you may be about to experience. I'm not going to come here anymore. My past two experiences (today and a week ago) were definitely enough to shoo me away for good. Oh...my Looord...I'm writing to you this review on the toilet as we speak.. as it could not wait any longer and I felt you all should just know...plus my legs were too weak to actually walk to the computer. Having to rush straight to a Jack-in-the-box (yes, the one on el camino) and sitting in the toilet for a good 20 min is just a horrid nightmare. Yet alone EMBARRASSING... Last bad experience: The waitress shooed us away while we were in the midst of eating and rushed our bill, just because she had to go to an appointment. She doesn't even own the restaurant, what gave her the right to do that? Whatever. Today: My dad came in from Chicago to visit my brother and me, and it's our 2nd time to see him this year. I wanted to treat him to some sukiyaki and whatever shit they have here, but what a bad experience. First, rude waitresses and owner is rude -- he saw us waiting to be dealt with but kept walking. And everyone else was not attentive. Took us 20 minutes to get the bill. Also food arrived late. Not to mention having the biggest poogasm in the world. Gave no tip. Never coming back again. AND I'm warning you all, I love all your butts and I just want to spare them from having poogasms. Just being a good samaritan.. that's all... Hustle and bustle, bitches. Hustle and bustle. Yours Truly, Frances W
(1)Susan L.
I debated as to whether I'd give Sono Sushi 2-stars or 3-stars. I almost gave it 3-stars because it's a tradition to go there when on Castro Street - but I should rate it strictly on food/service/ambiance. This place sadly has gone downhill in the last 10 years. 10 years ago I would have given them 4-stars. Here's my pros/cons list: Positives + Great location + Fun ambiance + Sushi boats which are fun, each sushi item is sitting on a colored tray - the price of the sushi depends on the color tray it is on + The guys that prepare the sushi are good at remembering regulars and what they order - even if you haven't been there for a while + Great location (oh, did I say that already?) Negatives - Service isn't the best, made to feel rushed when they are busy - Not a big selection of sushi on the boats after 8pm - Never a big selection of vegetarian sushi on the boats, seems to be just kappa makki and seaweed salad (boooorrrring) - Sushi isn't the freshest tasting - When you ask for the check the waitress will proceed to count up your sushi trays and calculate the bill, then she takes the bill over to the owner and gives it to him, next the owner comes over to count the sushi trays a second time and make sure the bill adds up correctly. WTF?! If the owner is so disturbed that there could be an error in counting them, why doesn't he just do it for every table the first time around? Seems like a time waster to me. I asked the owner about this one time and he said that it's in case the waitress forgets to count a few. GOD FORBID that the waitress forgets to charge me for a $3.00 kappa makki that's been circling the sushi moat for 3 hours before I grab it. Anyways, as I said...this place is a family tradition while in Mountain View so I'll probably return. Think it's time to find a new tradition on Castro Street though.
(2)Bethany M.
The sushi was assembled sloppily and more importantly, did not taste fresh or well, good. In fact, I'm nursing a mean stomachache as I type this and I blame the sushi. And it was prepared to order, unlike the sushi boat stuff that circulated the whole time we were there. Double yuck. Lil sis got chicken udon. The noodles and broth were ok, but the chicken was foul, all cheap and gristly. Lil bro got chicken teriyaki and it was gross, the chicken itself again being the culprit. In addition to its disgusting texture, it was cooked too long. Bro barely touched his and instead shared sis's noodles. The service was pretty bad too. This place is dead to me.
(1)Dave S.
This is sad because this was one of the family's go-to Sushi places years ago. The whole experience was positive, and we looked forward to our visits. After many years I've been back a few times lately, and I've gotta say that the spark is gone. Sushi migrating around the bar that was obviously high mileage- you couldn't pay me to eat it... I do still like some of the rolls, provided they are made fresh, but there's better eatin' out there. I'll give it another try in a year. Maybe.
(2)Dan B.
When I'm not in the mood for sushi, my standard lunch at a Japanese restaurant is a combination bento box with a selection of items (teriyaki, sashimi, salad, miso soup, etc.) On my first visit to Sono Sushi, I was disappointed to find they had no such thing. All the standard fare was offered, but not in a combined, price-effective way. I finally decided on the teriyaki chicken. the service was excellent and the meal arrived quickly. But what arrived was definitely below par. The chicken was rubbery and sauce was just OK...nothing special. The price was average, about 8 bucks. I made a mental note to try the sushi. On my second visit I came with a friend and we decided to order sushi, but were disappointed by the selection of sushi combinations offered on the menu. So we ordered a la carte. I ordered an uni-maki roll (eel), yellowtail nigiri, a triangle roll and edemame. As before, the service was excellent and the food arrived quickly. My green tea was refilled several times and our waitress was attentive without being intrusive. Everything was very good, but the portions were much smaller than I am used to. The uni-maki was miniscule, the two Hamachi pieces were the tiniest I've ever had, and the triangle roll was only two medium sized pieces. All in all, I spent around $15 but left feeling slightly hungry. I don't plan on returning to Sono Sushi unless it's convenient. There are much better options nearby. Pros: Excellent service; Decent sushi quality Cons: No bento combinations offered; Sad teriyaki; Tiny sushi portions.
(2)Jill H.
My mom and I came here for lunch because I'd seen the mango/avocado maki on the menu and wanted to try it. They were out of mango, but that has no bearing on my review. We are both vegetarians so I can't comment on the fish or its freshness. There seemed to just be something lacking/off but I can't quite put my finger on it if it was the rice or maybe the veggies weren't great (we got an avocado roll and then an avocado/shitake maki). We did get the sweet potato tempura which was nice. We got the agedashi tofu however I believe it had bonito flakes. This I admit is more on us and we should have asked if it came with bonito flakes when we oredered but usually restaurants will list it in the menu that it comes with bonito flakes. Luckily it was just on top and we scraped it off. But it didn't matter we only had a few bites. The tofu was very soft and watery and didn't retain any of the flavor of the sauce that the tofu was in. Our service was good at the start and that is when it was busy. But then nobody would bring us our check and by that time it was empty. They started clearing some of the plates so we thought they would just bring the check but after 10 more minutes we had to ask for it. Then another almost 10 minutes later we had to ask for it a second time and even then it took another few minutes. Just felt very ignored during this period. We weren't in a huge rush or anything but it was kinda ridiculous by the end. Usually I like to give a place at least a second try but the food didn't have a good taste and the bad service at the end doesn't give me any reason for wanting to come back. Was hoping for a better experience as its close to my work and had hoped would be a nice quick lunch spot but it was not.
(2)Serguei S.
I have been going to Sono Sushi for over a decade now. It is consistently good quality and at a very reasonable price. Highly recommend if you are in a mood for traditional sushi bar.
(5)Shaf K.
I was here last Wednesday, and I ordered a sashimi salad, and a volcano roll. The total came out to being about $24, including a 15% tip. The portions were tiny, and there was far too much sauce on the roll. I've had much better food in many other places, for a lower price. Service was good, so no complaints there, but I was here for a decent meal, and they didn't deliver. I don't think I'll be eating here again.
(2)Cara N.
I've had way better sushi. The only reason why I came here was because I was working during the Ala Carte & Art Festival and had to grab a quick bite during my lunch. Sometimes it's also about the service, and I wasn't given much. I ordered two rolls to-go, the unagi roll and philadelphia. Ehhh, nothing special at all. This is one of those sushi places that you get what you pay for, I guess.
(2)Courtney Y.
Came here for lunch w/ some co-workers. We only walked inside b/c Maru Ichi was PACKED. Anyways, i'm not that fond of sushi boat places to begin w/ b/c I really don't know how long those things have been going around on those boats but I went with it. I ordered beef sukiyaki b/c it was damn cold outside. It had WAY too much shoyu in it. Is there such a thing as TOO much flavor. Well if there is, this sukiyaki had it. BLAH, I need to drink a gallon of water after eating it. If you can... SKIP!
(2)Anna V.
We went to Sono Sushi since the line for Sushi Tomo was fairly long and we didn't want ot wait around. Sono Sushi was a few blocks away and the place was fairly empty when we got there. The restaurant was a typical sushi boat restaurant with a conveyer in the middle and sushi chefs stranded in the middle of the island making sushi and some non-sushi boat seating scattered about. We ended up ordering off the menu rather than do the sushi boat series. I got the Salmon Shoiyaki. It was quite normal - just a little drier than what I'm used to. I didn't try any of the sushi though most of it seemed like just regular sashimi and mostly some typical rolls. They had plates that were 2 a piece - which I guess is good if you want to sample a lot. They didn't have too many special rolls there. Not really an impressive place, but it isn't horrible. Doubt I'll ever come again.
(2)Yoly D.
I really like this place. Good service and pleasant atmosphere. The sushi rolls that I ordered were delicious.
(4)Andrea B.
This sushi restaurant is pretty lame. Their menu has many small plates, so we decided to try several of them. I had edamame, mussels, and three types of rolls. The edamame was cold and unseasoned, the mussels were not that good at all and covered in butter, and the rolls were decent, mostly because tempura rolls are sort of hard to mess up. The fish was not fresh, and they felt sloppily put together. The real downer was the check, which came to about $30 with tip, one soft drink, and our other dishes. Way too much for such crappy food.
(2)Kim D.
Was more impressed by the hot towel I got at the beginning then anything else here. Sushi was cheap, but just kind of crafted poorly. The boats looked unappetizing, so we ordered off the menu. Very very basic stuff that should have come out well (like a Philly Roll, Tekka Maki and Oshinko Maki) just made me wonder why I was in the mood for sushi that day. Service was off, our waitress was serving us while she was also taking in a full meal of some sort. I wouldn't make it a point to come back.
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