I had super high expectations from this place probably because my friend hyped it up to be really good. However, I was pretty disappointed at the food. Maybe it was because we ordered the wrong thing. I came with my family and so they wanted to order combos, but maybe we should’ve stuck with rolls since that’s what this place seems to be known for. We ordered two combos with beef teriyaki, salmon teriyaki, mixed tempura, sushi, spicy sesame chicken and a crunch roll, as well as a homeless roll since my friend told me I absolutely had to get it. The salmon teriyaki was probably my favorite, followed by the crunch roll. We were actually surprised to see a whole roll considering that in combos they usually only give you like four pieces. Tempura was also good, only thing I would critique on is that they should give the sauce in a bigger bowl. The beef was pretty tough and not that good, and the chicken looked/tasted like something you’d get at panda express, no thank you. I can’t say anything about the sushi because I didn’t try it. Now the homeless roll, while I thought it was good, it didn’t completely blow me away like I expected it to. I thought there was way too much sauce on it and so basically the only flavor I was getting was sweetness. Also, the crunchy stuff on top was meh and made it hard to eat. I really wanted to like this place and after reading the reviews here, I think I’ve concluded that Carlsbad just isn’t the place to get sushi at, since everyone seems to be saying this is the best. This isn’t even like a traditional Japanese restaurant, it’s actually pretty Americanized. The only thing I will say is that they offer a HUGE selection of sushi rolls so you’re pretty much guaranteed to find something you like. Sorry, but I just was not impressed.
Gigi E.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Phoenix, AZ
Ninja, dragon & redline rolls. Delicious! We started with the honey roll(not featured because we scarfed it down) –seriously fantastic and one of the most creative menus that I’ve ever seen.
Astrid M.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Oceanside, CA
My fab place to eat sushi I love there bob Marley and the Mexican! Also I love their lunch specials the box and their seaweed salad are amazing! The only bad thing about it was how crowded it would get I’m glad now they have expanded!
Paula N.
Rating des Ortes: 2 San Jose, CA
The food is equivalent Chinese take-out. Everyone gave high rating for their roles. My rating is only for dinner entrees. If you decide to visit this place, you are better off ordering sushi roles. — Beef Teriyaki: Beef very chewy and no taste. Seemed like beef has been frozen for long time. — Chicken Teriyaki: instead of grilled chicken on the teriyaki sauce — it seemed the chicken was boiled/steamed. Yuck! — Salmon Teriyaki — The fish was not fresh.
Sarah M.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Vista, CA
This is one of my favorite place to get sushi in Southern California. Favorite rolls include the«Homeless» roll and«Mexicans Gone Wild» roll. Very fresh fish, excellent quality rice, and beautiful presentations. The menu has pictures of all of the rolls; that’s nice so you have an idea of what you’re ordering. They recently expanded the restaurant, so the wait isn’t as long. But every time we have come, there is a wait. That means this place is good and popular! Service is good and attentive for how busy they are. Highly recommend.
Richard M.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Oceanside, San Diego, CA
First time coming here about a week ago Customer service was great, food was great, prices were a bit high imo. There’s several other sushi places around with lower prices and similar quality.
David K.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Vista, CA
Fresh fish Clean modern setting Fast service Excellent salmon skin hand rolls So packed you have to wait to get a seat a while though with expansion it’s easier now Thanks Hooked On !
Shannon C.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Carlsbad, CA
HIGHLIGHTS: a gazillion rolls to choose from, delicious food I’m slightly terrified that this is so close to home. I could literally eat here every day. I dined on a random weeknight around 730p and there was a good 15 min wait. The place was packed and rightfully so… The rolls are inexpensive and pretty large. I sat at the sushi bar so had full view of what was going out to the tables and it seemed like each table ordered the Homeless roll. I didn’t get to try it but will soon. I can’t remember the name of the rolls we ordered, but they were both really good. They have at least 3 tv’s(one giant screen) around the restaurant so you can watch your favorite game while eating delicious sushi. What more can you ask for?!
Yvonne Y.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Oceanside, CA
I have been on the hunt for a great sushi place since we moved to Oceanside and we may have just found it! Great food, great selection, great service, great presentation! Kid friendly as well, which we appreciated. Everything we ordered, we liked. Could have ordered the whole menu but had to show some self-control…definitely looking forward to the next visit already Today we enjoyed the Homeless and Yesterday rolls, spicy ramen, chicken teriyaki, gyoza, and spicy lemon edamame. I definitely recommend this place!
Rebecca T.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Carlsbad, CA
Very good fusion sushi restaurant with great service and Iively ambiance. They expanded it to the next shop so the wait is not as bad as before!
Hyang Sun L.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Hayward, CA
Presentation of food: 4 stars Cleaness of dishes: 2 stars Over all ambience: 4 stars Service of staff: 3 stars Taste of food: 3 stars(average) = Total: 3 stars After fun day at Legoland with my kid, decided to drop by this restaurant for dinner, having faith in such good Unilocal review. Over all, it was okay. Except: 1. Served my tea in chipped(very sharply chipped at where usual right hander would place one’s lip) cup and only noticed after I request a new cup. 2. Didn’t greet us when entered and when leaving.(one sushi man said thank you as we were leaving. Waiter who served us looked but turned his head w/o a word). 3. Didn’t asked if we want a dessert. 4. All small dishes at table was… not very clean… It wasn’t like servers were mean or rude. But. I will say not very attentive.(Got my kid a cup of water with ice when I asked for no ice.)
Cindy W.
Rating des Ortes: 3 San Diego, CA
Came here with my friend for dinner due to the great reviews, here’s the breakdown: Appetizer: Tempura Halibut — delicious and crispy and hot, big portions Sushi Rolls: Hooked on Sushi — It’s a 3.5 out of 5 due to the complexity of the sushi, the fish didn’t really shine. Homeless Roll — We actually really like this one, it’s like a 5⁄5 Dream Roll — not bad, but my friend wasn’t a big sushi eater so this was comforting for a newbie, for me, 3⁄5. Ambiance: cozy little place with lots happening towards the evening Décor: simple and extra room in the side for extra seating. Service: Our waitress messed up our order and added an additional sushi roll for us. We caught it in time but she had another waitress fix it, she didn’t even come back to serve us. Sushi chef kept giving my friend dirty looks and didn’t look happy, he looked like he was having a bad day or something. Overall: Glad we tried it, but not sure I’d come back.
Gloria T.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Vista, CA
Hooked on Sushi? Super hooked. Thankfully it’s not too far of a drive from our spot and next to the Vons/Safeway we frequent. We walked into a fairly busy restaurant and were immediately greeted and seated. We ordered: Taisho roll Bruce lee Carlsbad roll Yakisoba Noodles All of the rolls were a good size, super delicious and really fresh! My favorite roll is the Taisho Roll. The yakisoba wasnt my favorite as it was a tad oily. The customer service from not just our waitress, Gloria, but the whole staff. We had other waiters/waitresses picking up/dropping off plates at our table. That’s super convenient and really considerate as were not sitting there trying to maneuver empty plates around to eat. We really enjoyed this place and cant wait to go back!
Lora D.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Oceanside, CA
You must really intend to go to Carlsbad’s Hooked on Sushi because it’s hidden behind a huge fitness gym. You would not normally spot it on your own. I’ve been to this shopping complex, and this time, I searched for Hooked on Sushi, due to the reviews I read on Unilocal.Man, what a find! My daughter is vegetarian and we ordered the Alice in Wonderland roll and the Angry Tofu roll,(kicks your butt),…both delicious and well done… we were pleased! :) What a yummy discovery! So glad I listened to the Unilocal reviews and looked at the HOS menu before heading in! We will definitely go again!
Erin C.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Oceanside, CA
The customer service here is amazing! Me and my friends come in regularly to get our favorite garden salad, sushi rolls and house made strawberry yogurt sake. Good appetizers: Garden salad, chicken gyoza, jalapeño poppers, mixed tempura & miso soup. I love the TNT Roll. It has spicy tuna and cucumber inside with seared tuna, avocado, deep fried red onions, soy mustard and eel sauce. so good one! Some of my other favorites are the Ichigo roll, Yoyo roll, Sashimi roll(no rice) & Yesterday roll. If you love fresh tuna get the poke salad it’s amazing I love the dressing they use. Definitely recommend Hooked on Sushi if your in this area and wanting some sushi that’s good quality/price!
Scott T.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Carlsbad, CA
whenever the girls(wife and daughter) are otherwise occupied, this is WYATT and my go-to place. we’ve been often enough the order for his starter(TUNASASHIMI) goes in as soon as we’re seated without even asking. i think part of the allure is the boy has a crush on MIMI, one of the longtime servers. fun place for AMERICAN-style sushi(crispy, fried sprinkles, sweet sauces and spicy-mayo squirts) popular enough that even though they’ve doubled the size of their dining area, still a wait on busy weekends. okay, here’s the good part. here’s the real reason i updated my review : TAKOYAKI has been added to their menu. love those tender, pancake balls enough to consider moving to OSAKA and now i just have to drive to HOOKEDONSUSHI and i’m a happy boy.
Kathy N.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Anaheim, CA
My best friend and I came to Hooked on Sushi after our visit to the flower fields. We found that the rolls here were A+. They have so many different special rolls on the menu in addition to their appetizers and other dishes. Plenty of options to go around! What we ordered — Garlic and Lemon Edamame: Edamame in general is already addicting to eat because they’re so good and you can mindlessly snack on them. This appetizer comes with a twist here drowned in their sauce with zesty lemon flavors and garlic. These were so good and I could quite possibly eat them forever but towards the bottom of the dish it started to get really sour. Spicy Tuna Roll: This was just a basic spicy tuna roll. I tend to always order this roll at most of the sushi places I go to. I thought it was really good but the rice portion was a lot compared to the fish. I didn’t really mind because I thought their rice was really good. Honey: This roll contained shrimp tempura, crab and cucumber on the inside with seared salmon and sauce on top. The tempura was not too overpowering at all. I usually sway away from the fried stuff but I could hardly notice it in this roll. Mexicans Gone Wild: This roll had spicy tuna inside and albacore on top with other toppings as well. It was a mild level of spicy on the after taste but not too spicy so don’t be afraid if you’re not good with spices! Overall, I highly recommend Hooked on Sushi. The food was good and the servers were also really nice. Of course we did not finish all the rolls and decided to take them home. Packed them up and forgot them on the table. Had my friend go back for them as we drove by to leave and they kindly placed them near the front.
Shane H.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Oceanside, CA
Beware. Coming here repeatedly might lead you to become HOOKED. ON. SUSHI! Since the new year I’ve been trying to ingrain the thought of eating less and losing weight. Splurge less on food and such. However, when sushi is mentioned, I quickly drop my new founded abstemious ways and order two rolls or more. The speciality rolls here are more than enough but I feel the need to gluttonize when checking into this place. One roll can easily satisfy my belly, however my mind will overtake all logic and I order more than I need. Two rolls you need to know about: Mexican’s Gone Wild & Homeless. Both are just so rich and amazing. Packed with flavor. I can’t list out all of what’s inside at the moment, but that doesn’t matter. For your first time, order one of those two or both. I guarantee you’ll be delighted with at least one. The service here is pretty good. Not outstanding, but fair. The waitresses can get rather occupied with their many tables to wait on. They are(very, very soon) expanding their eating area into the next door building which they took over after a burger joint failed to start up. Now there will be plenty of seating to accommodate their cyclopean lunch and dinner rushes. All in all, this is the best sushi I’ve found in North County with more than fair price points. Love Boat is a local contender, but let’s keep this review focusing on Hooked On Sushi ;) Check out my photos of the many rolls I’ve had. Compliments and messages are welcomed!
Renee M.
Rating des Ortes: 5 San Diego, CA
YESYESYES. Yes a million times. I don’t know what has taken me so long to come in! I can’t wait to come back when they open the extended restaurant area! Going to be great! Sushi is SO fresh and amazing. If you are a sushi lover, you will love theirs. I’m not big on crab so when I ordered the shrimp tempura roll, it came in it(some places add it, some do not, oops on me for not checking), but it was still good when I pushed it out ;) They have sake, beer, wine! So many great rolls to choose from! Friendly staff! I find the prices to be very fair! Parking can be a biyotch, but don’t give up. The lot is rather small so you could park near the Chuze gym and walk over!
Andrew J.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Vista, CA
Been here a few times, haven’t had anything other than the combo plates/bento box. The bento boxes are very filling! I usually get the spicy sesame chicken bento, which comes with an assortment of tempura, 4 california rolls, 2 fried gyoza, the main entrée, and a scoop of rice. Before all that, you also get a bowl of miso soup and a small salad. It’s a pretty big meal, so be prepared to either take home leftovers or don’t eat too much before eating here. The miso soup is has a lot deeper flavor than the soup you get from your basic Japanese restaurants. The salad is your average salad, though the dressing is what makes it so good. I can eat salad all day if I had a bottle of the dressing, which seems like it’s some kind of soy/ginger/miso dressing. I’ve had it or something like it when I was in Japan before, but forgot what kind of dressing it is. The bento box is good too, though I recommend eating the gyoza immediately upon arrival. It’ll get soggy from the temperature of being fried and sitting in the tray. The sesame chicken isn’t too spicy, but seems like the sweet & sour sauce might be house made. The chicken is fried first before sauced to give a nice crunch/chew. The tempura comes with different vegetables, and I think 1 shrimp. I usually like to save it for last. The california roll isn’t anything special, if you’ve had it once, you’ve had them all. The customer service is spotty, some days they are tentative, some not so much. They’re usually friendly though. The interior is usually a bit dark, might be a good place to take a date. Not a fan of the music though, it’s usually some kind of reggae styled music. Overall this is a pretty good place to eat, a good deal on bento boxes. Just have to try something off the sushi menu in a future visit.