Sakana Sushi & Kitchen

I wanted to like this place... but was confused why it has such high ratings. Sushi was just okay. Got the area 206 cali with salmon and spicy mayo. Got karage... they need to work on their batter and If they want to do white met... maybe bigger pieces and tenderize it more? everything was dry and hard. And real karage has like lemon added to make add a little citrus kick. The creamy katsu was also hard, dry, and the chicken was so thin... . The creamy sauce with mushroom was good tho. Fresh roll.... Please don't serve that. It had an off taste with the fried mushroom. The flavors did not mesh well together with the balsamic dressing. Everything was just too heavy on the mayo and dry with the frying. They did take the feedback... so hopefully they can make it better!

The sushi was very good quality and I enjoyed both my futomaki and caterpillar rolls. They also had an interesting edamame "guac" and tortilla chips appetizer they provided for free that was pretty tasty too. I'd definitely come back here for sushi any time. Service was very very good. The server was attentive and thoughtful and she was also friendly and knowledgeable about the large menu. It took us a while to decide because there were so many options!The ambiance was nice enough. Somewhere between classy decor but casual space. I'd definitely go here again for sushi and I'd try the other items too some time.

This was our first time trying Sakana and the menu is quite extensive so we were excited to try a lot of items. We got the Enoki Mushroom Tempura, crispy spicy salmon, yaki udon with sukiyaki, area 206 roll and the fire dragon roll. We enjoyed the area 206 roll and crispy rice, but thought that the salmon was not the freshest quality compared to other sushi spots. The fire dragon roll on the other hand was a miss for us. The rice was mushy and a bit too much sauce in our opinion. The tempura fried enoki mushroom was also a unique appetizer that I would get again. Overall, we would come back to try other items and service was really attentive and friendly!

After spending a day walking all around Volunteer Park, we went nuts at Sakana Sushi & Kitchen in Cap Hill, especially because we arrived during happy hour. All our dishes have a small discount, just enough to instigate over-ordering. Food was very good. They are not competing at the high end omakase sushi level. Instead, they have a mix of quality kitchen and sushi/sashimi dishes. I definitely recommend them for your sushi and Japanese food fix without breaking the bank.Service was kind and courteous. Our server asked for inputs, and I gave them honest feedback. They are several months old. I am rounding up my rating to a full 5 Stars to give them a bump.The restaurant has a basic and functional deco. I like that the tables are not very close together. The Food: Fried Oysters, $11, minus $1.25HH - 5 StarsPerfectly breaded panko friend oysters, this was one of our favorite dishes.Ika Geso "Squid Tentacle", $11, minus $1.25HH - 5 StarsI think a restaurant is paying respect to their culture when there is that one unusual dish that is most definitely not geared towards Americans. Squid tentacles definitely fit the bill. Also panko fried, it has a wonderful chew. Sauteed Garlic Shishito Peppers, $9, minus $1.25HH - 4 StarsWith all the fried foods, I told myself I need to order a veggie. This is it. :) It's perfectly executed.Takoyaki, $8, minus $1.25HH - 2 StarsThis dish was the only failure of the night. Way too much sauce. It's swimming in sauce. It's a waste of sauce and made the takoyaki balls soggy. This is an easy fix. Crunch Portobello, $9, minus $1.25HH - 3.5 StarsThe execution is good, but the portobello flavor is overwhelmed by the panko breading. We still liked it, but it's not obvious on what is inside.Salmon Usuzukuri, $15, minus $1.50HH - 4 StarsServed over edamame puree, the salmon with the balsamic soy sauce is very good. My hubby was ok with this, but I don't like the mouthfeel between the smooth silky salmon mixed with the coarseness of the edamame puree. Maybe if the edamame is super-smoothly-blended, it would be better. Tuna Tatiki, $16, minus $1.50HH - 5 StarsServed with guacamole/tataki sauce, I loved this dish. The guac is a smoother texture than the edamame, and this dish was a much better combination. The lightly seared tina was perfectly executed.Scallop Crudo, $16, minus $1.50HH - 5 Stars Served with lemon zest & ikura ponzu, the texture, taste, and feel of this dish is spot on. Avocado Bomb, $10, minus $1.25HH - 5+ StarsThis was their most creative and unusual dish, and I loved the combination! They are fried avocado halves filled with cream cheese, spicy tuna, and crab meat. By golly, this is so good!

This is a great little hidden gem tucked away behind all the construction in Cap Hill. I've been here for their happy hour and have ordered off the regular menu as well. The sashimi is always fresh and their crudo-type dishes on the happy hour menu are all fantastic.

Disclosure: I am in between and 3 and a 4 star.The ambiance gives a nice, chill, with clean lines, and modern. The service was per usual Japanese custom. The wonderful greeting and leaving was inviting!The food: I think the food is great here except for the sashimi. After arriving from another sushi spot (aburiya) I can tell there was a different in quality!There non sushi dish is probably the returning point. The crispy squid tentacles was on point! Very crunchy and full of flavors. The okonomoyaki was good but I felt they could use more cabbage and less batter. After returning from Japan I feel that the batter should just be enough to bind the ingredient and make them the star of the show. All in all, they have a lot of non sushi dishes I like to try and would return!

Extremely fresh and delicious sushi! We ordered Crispy Spicy Salmon, super yummy; Capitol Hill (good but not too impressed); and my favorite Area 206, simply delicious! Ambiance is casual and cozy enough. Service is friendly and welcoming. Definitely worth it! We will be back! If you decide to come, you will be well served! Enjoy!

Food came out fast and was delicious! The ambiance was great and our server, Jackie, was fantastic! The evening before coming was a disappointment. The food and service at Sakana saved the night!

This was a great new sushi spot in cap hill with many options. My friend and I shared a cap hill and fly me to the moon rolls. The rolls were huge and presented beautifully!I came on a weekend and it was surprisingly not busy at all. The service was fast and friendly. Our server even got us started with a free app of edamame dip and chips.

The service and space are great. They have great happy hour deals (1 off wine sake or beer, 1.25 off regular rolls, 1.50 off fancier stuff). They give you a free edamame dip and corn chips for the table. The wine and sake were good. Every other dish we ordered was great--short ribs, seaweed salad, cucumber roll (I asked for California rolls but was given this), avocado roll, salmon roll). It sucked that the ribs didn't come with miso like online menus claimed, but that's life.I would have loved to not have a huge bone lodged in my throat after a single piece of unagi and avocado roll. Staff tried to tell me the chef cuts bones small and it's totally normal in an unagi roll... I've been eating this exact dish in this city in restaurants of varying price for 15 years (including grocery store sushi!) and I've never once gotten a bone before today. They gave us a free mochi dessert (two pieces sliced into halves with whipped cream) as an apology, but if I swallow a certain way I can still feel where the bone was. I would not go back.