Oceanview Sushi Bar

Amazing view! The staff was so nice and welcoming! There are only ten seats at the bar, feels like a big family dinner.

I’m struggling to put together words to describe how amazing this little sushi bar on the coast of Big Sur was. The sushi was inspired and amazing, the service friendly and inviting, the view 5 star. They can only seat about 10 people and unlike the resort’s restaurant, they are first come first serve, but luckily we got in without much of a wait. My best advice, chat with Sarah and if she has the time, let her recommend rolls for you. This was hands down one of the best meals of my life, mostly because of the food but also just the overall experience.

This place is a hidden gem. The wild rolls are delicious and so is the nigiri. We loved the Chef’s suggestion veggie roll, which was topped with thinly sliced kiwi. We thought it was crazy… crazy good!
Sushi chef Sarah (I think that’s her name) put great flavors together repeatedly. She and host Carey were very friendly and were diligent about food allergies.
Paired with fantastic Japanese beers, Ozeno Yukidoke Weizen and Kujukuri Ocean Stout, it was an enchanting meal.
The view and the atmosphere deserve praise too. Treebones resort seems like a cozy communal spot with great views and nice staff. (We stayed elsewhere.)
If you end the evening with the whisky cake in the main restaurant by the fire with a board game, then you have truly lived.

I have to admit I was skeptical that Treebones Resort had its own sushi bar since Big Sur is about the last place you would expect to see a Ginza-​style operation like this. Yet, before I could sing «Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto» a cappella… and repeatedly, Jamie W. and I found ourselves patronizing this compact spot both nights we were there. Why? Well, we didn’t feel like paying $ 42 for venison chops at the main restaurant, especially with scary thoughts of Rudolph being run over by a black Porsche on Highway One. Besides, the young woman who was making all the sushi turns out to be quite talented. We liked pretty much everything we ordered.
As if we were businessmen in a Tokyo alley, the place is very tight with seating for only ten people at a time, but of course, it has a killer view. This time of year, however, you’ll be lucky to catch a glimpse of it when it opens technically at 4:30PM. It stays open until just 8PM six days a week (they’re closed on Tuesdays). However, don’t let the smallness fool you. They don’t cut corners with their robust menu of nigiri, rolls, appetizers and sake. Their selection of «Wild Rolls» is particularly creative, and the Garden Rolls obviously take advantage of the organic garden on the premises. Jamie and I are creatures of habit as we sat on the same stools at the end of the counter both nights.
On our first visit, we shared the $ 4 Squid Salad, a small serving but tasty with all sorts of marinated vegetables and sesame seeds mixed with the thinly sliced cephalopods (photo:
). We also shared a $ 4 serving of Edamame, which was nicely salted and surprisingly warmed up for us (photo:
). Gee, now I kinda like it that way. We then tried their $ 18 Rainbow Roll, or as my friend Rene calls it, bait (photo:
). But I love the variety and have to admit I don’t think I’ve had one where they inserted a big piece of maguro in the middle along with the avocado and masago (smelt roe). A wild roll came next, the $ 16 Wasabi, a nicely turned roll with a slight kick thanks to the siracha and wasabi.
It had albacore and tobiko (flying fish roe) with wasabi along with asparagus, scallions and avocado (photo:
). The nicest surprise turned out to be the $ 16 Yasai Maki, a garden roll with a potpourri of fresh vegetables like avocado, carrots and cucumber (photo:
). We liked it so much we had it again the following night along with the edamame. This time, we were given a complimentary serving of their extremely fresh Seaweed Salad (photo:
). Based on what we saw the next couple have the previous night, we ordered the $ 17 Poke Bowl, which was a hearty serving for two with fresh chunks of tuna atop a bowl of sushi rice speckled with sesame seeds (photo:
).
We also went for the $ 18 Phoenix, a spicy tuna roll with a nice crunch due to the shrimp tempura inside along with scallions and jalapeño peppers (photo:
). Foregoing our standard Diet Coke orders, we did partake the $ 12 Cold/​Dry 180 ml Jar of Kiku Masamune Sake (photo:
). That was a nice and mellow treat. It’s definitely worth seeking out if you’re within an hour of Treebones even if it is a bit pricey by big city standards, but you get used to the premium pricing with the other eateries and gas stations in Big Sur anyway. BTW, I got the name Oceanview from the Treebones website, but I noticed a chalkboard inside called it Sunset Sushi Bar. I doubt you’ll care what the name is once you get here.
FOOD — 4 stars… surprisingly fresh sushi creations make this a smart alternative to the fancier restaurant inside the Treebones lodge
AMBIANCE — 3 stars… Ginza with a vew
SERVICE — 4 stars… nice, youthful vibe… Jiro ain’t in the house
TOTAL — 4 stars… come get quality sushi in Big Sur… why not?