Kai Ola Sushi

Yummy food with innovative house rolls, cool ambiance. I prefer to sit at the sushi bar if it's a week-end night (and therefore busy). Sushi chefs are great. :) I look forward to dining there every time I'm in Encinitas.

Dropped by this costal sushi place for a laid-back lunch. Scored a parking spot right across from the train tracks, total win. The place has this chill, tropical vibe with cool fish paintings and metal fish shaped decorations over some of the walls. The friendly waitress kept things smooth, and the sushi? Fresh, flavorful, and absolutely on point. If you're cruising around Encinitas, this spot is definitely a catch!

First time here and we were very happy with it. It is a small place so expect a wait. We were told an hour but got seated in less than 40 minutes. The service was good and both specialty rolls we got were delicious. Looking forward to going back!

Not sure why it took me so long to write a review on my favorite sushi spot- EVER!! If you are a sushi connoisseur like myself, you're going to fall in love with everything Kai Ola! The food is amazing, the staff always warm and friendly and the ambiance is sooooo Encinitas!!! Plus we get to go with our ever so popular Mr Cooper (our adorable sheepadoodle) and we get to sit on the patio with him!! Thank you Kai Ola for always delivering the best sushi around!!!

Great service at this small restaurant on the 101. It was about 2pm on a Sunday so it wasn't busy anyway. The ambiance is similar to most sushi restaurants around north county but they don't have many tables in their small restaurant. The price does not reflect the quality or portion sizes. We were severely disappointed with the veggie tempura and the specialty roll. We also had a crunchy shrimp and spicy tuna roll that were ok. With so many sushi restaurants around, I'd opt for a different place with better prices or better quality or larger portions.

Great local spot for fresh sushi. Great selections, big variety. Ramen Great on a cloudy coastal day. The roll options are creative and delicious. Matt is the best sushi chef. Grayson always provides friendly and efficient service. So happy to have this spot in my hood.

Tiny sushi spot on the 101 but you can't miss it! My friend and I said we're able to snag a table for 2 on a busy Friday night luckily with no wait! We sat on the outside side portion of the restaurant under a heater so we wouldn't get cold. Service was fast and attentive too! No long waits at all and they were busy too!We grabbed the spicy garlic edamame- 10/10, the Swamis roll- 10/10, some yellowtail nigiri-10/10, spicy tuna roll-10/10, and I think the moonlight roll? Also 10/10Everything was amazing and satisfied our sushi craving! Sushi was fresh and nicely presented too!Highly recommend:)

Host was not friendly. Told us there was a 20 minute wait for inside seating when there was an open table, so we sat outside. An older couple came in and said "Table for two, and there's an open table inside so we'll take that one" then got seated inside. The lady serving us was nice until we asked for a few more minutes then forgot about us outside. Peaked inside and she was seated at a table having a conversation with someone. Wasn't until I made eye contact with the guy server that she came out because he asked her if she's taken our order yet. Afterwards, food came out fast. The spicy edamame was good. The sunset roll was about a 1/10. The scallops on top were good on their own. Could've been seared more. The spicy tuna on the inside is ruined by this sort of truffle sauce that's it's soaked in. It's super strong and you can smell it as they're putting it in front of you. Overall, the options here aren't that great and they're on the expensive side (obviously, given the area). Takoyaki -- 4 pieces for $9 is criminal --as well as $5 for miso soup -- and $12 for a maki roll with so little fish The guy server's demeanor towards us was bland and questionable considering about a week ago, he was very upbeat and happy to help. Hoping it was just an off day and not because we didn't have any people of a certain demographic with us like last time.

We came on a Thursday night, crowded and almost no host and a line in the door. Tables are to close together so no privacy. Not a family restaurant. Lack of service in general and poor planning. Matt the sushi chef at the sushi bar was extremely unwelcoming and almost seemed like he did not want to be there. Overall sushi was standard, atmosphere none existent and service lacking, Wish we could have welcomed something better to Carlsbad! I gave it a three but its really a two. Rolls are over priced, you can go to blue ocean sushi and get quality rolls under 18 a block away with better service and better atmosphere.

Great sushi, variety selection , reasonable price but the young man server could have done a much better job. He didn't take away the dirty dishes on our table , never asked if we wanted anything else. All he did was on his phone which my table was only customers inside.