Shin’s Sushi

Though I still call it Shins, it’s under new management. Basically it’s the same, though. However (and maybe it’s just me), I have been finding myself less keen to return. Their albacore nigiri is still very good, and if I ever get out surfing again, I’ll definitely be back for my traditional Beef Box and Miso soup. But beyond that, it’s cheap sushi.
Sometimes that’s just what I’m looking for, other times the quality is better found elsewhere for a few dollars more.

Shins is awesome, the atmosphere is great and the staff is always wonderful. I’ve been eating at shins for years and they have yet to disappoint. Complementary ice cream on this visit too! Yeeee

The short: Large group friendly and great for sake bombs and cheap sushi
This place has changed a lot since I came here the first time a couple of years ago. The décor is a lot nicer. The service is more prompt.
I still don’t think highly of their sushi though. I think the quality of sushi is slowly getting better! Awesome names for their rolls, like the Ninja, Banzai, and Philadelphia roll. I ordered the California Girl hand roll, and it was a great level of spicy, but more toppings would be nice! Half price rolls are the best deal there.
Order their Hite special to make some sake bombs!
Go on your birthday! They give a complimentary dessert and a birthday frame to use for photos :)

While living in SLO as a college student, operating on a hugely limited budget, Shin’s Sushi is a gem. So this 4-​star review reflects the many times Shin’s Sushi was able to satisfy sushi cravings without breaking the bank.
«Special» rolls are generally $ 10 or less and include stuff like spider and dragon rolls. A more typical roll like a crunch roll, is like $ 7. There’s also half-​priced rolls like California or Philadelphia for like $ 4, and hand rolls for $ 3.
For birthdays, they obnoxiously put on disco lights and a ridiculous fob-​sounding happy birthday song. Sitting at the sushi bar is pretty fun relative to other sushi restaurants in the area.

They’re unorganized, unattentive, and apathetic. They forget orders, there’s always obnoxious loud music playing, feels like a frat house, and it takes an eternity to get your food. When you do get your food it’s completely underwhelming, portion sizes are all over the place, not very fresh, and it’s pricey in comparison to other better places. To top it all off the bathrooms are horrifying.
Overall it seems like a resteraunt that would be on Donkey Island.

Very affordable, but quality isn’t the finest. If you’re looking for a quick fix, Shin’s is your place ! Servers also do a great job at tending to large parties.
Again, compared to other sushi places around, great price, but not the freshest sushi.

Cheap sushi.
With that said, there comes the good and bad from that.
Low prices and affordability.
Lower quality.
Now keeping that it’s really cheap and aimed at the college student community, I shall give reason for the amount of stars.
Every restaurant starts off with 5 stars. Stars can be awarded or withdrawn.
1 star deducted because of the service when busy/​familiar people are there.
I’ve had good service a few times, but during the off times when it was pretty empty. I went there a few times when it got busier. There is bias in service which isn’t cool. I was ignored a lot for a long time during one sitting. It was really busy, but man I just wanted to put my order down before the queue gets too ridiculous.
1 star deducted for quality/​portion
It’s a cheap place so I shouldn’t expect much. But some of these rolls were puny. I am a person with a large appetite. I order around ⁴⁄₅ rolls and after eating, I was just satisfied. In other places, I would be ridiculously full. Quality is slightly lower than what I would expect from a cheap place. Some are really good, but there are some low quality rolls too.
I still go here. Can’t beat the price. Advise though if you wanna maximize your experience and optimize your budget. Get a cheaper entrée dish and some ½ off sushi as sides. You’ll be full and have that sushi craving satisfied.

Great prices
Great taste
Great service
Awesome place if you wanna have fun
Been coming here for almost 2 years now and it’s only been getting better.

Welcome to Shins, would you like a side of puke with that main entrée of food poisoning?
In late November, I went here with my boyfriend for dinner. Approximately 20 hours later, both my boyfriend and I were sharing turns with the toilet. We had ordered 4 rolls from the half-​price roll list. Apparently we weren’t the only ones who got sick that night. Other friends who went to Shins that day also ended up sick. Coincidence? I think not.
Yeah, the sushi is cheap, but it is never fresh. AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
Dear Shins, I want my money back. Or at least my intestines.

This place is cheap and caters to poor college students, so I can definitely appreciate that. While all the other sushi places are closed for lunch time, you can find Shin’s opened and welcoming in customers.
The rolls here aren’t great; I’ve never found myself oo-​ing and awe-​ing over anything here, but there’s the reason why quality matches price.
They do celebrate birthdays with the typical birthday song that other sushi restaurants play and take a photo for you holding a frame. Gotta love it!

Cheapest sushi you can get in SLO. That’s the only plus. And there’s a reason why it’s so cheap. It’s just not that good. I’ve been here twice. And it’s two times too many. The service is bad, and the sushi is sad.
I got their Grover Beach roll once, which was good, but not filling. Frankly, for a place that’s supposed to have cheap sushi, I was disappointed that – for the price I paid – I wasn’t even slightly full.

Sound the alarm. I’m having the Fireball and Backdraft sushi rolls on a wine-​coated stomach (it was a wine-​tasting day). Sunday football. Likin’ the Albacore. 49ers score. Likin’ the catepillar. Anything spicy or with avocado works. Brash and bright in here, but it’s very clean.

This place used to be the good for cheap but low quality sushi. I used to go there for the ½ price rolls. However, they raised their prices and it is not worth it to go here anymore.
There are tons of other sushi places in SLO with much better quality sushi and they now have they same prices.

More like a 3.5, but it is pretty good. This is more the college kid hot spot for sushi, but its still not a bad place to hit up for sushi. I usually get the eel roll, and have tried the lobster, salmon, and a few of the other specialty rolls. All are good, I do like the eel roll best though. I always order a couple of the ½ priced rolls (around $ 4-​$ 5) on the side of the menu, due to the other rolls being kinda pricey ($ 8 up) for what you get. Service is pretty slow, but usually friendly. Not a bad place to go for sushi, though there are better options downtown and around SLO.

My favorite roll here is definitely Hot Grover Beach Night. GET THIS!
Sake bombs with good company and delicious sushi = great nights.
They’re pretty busy during the weekends around dinner time, but always find a way to accompany you and your party, some way or another.
They got rid of all the polaroids taken for peoples’ birthdays, but still do the birthday special, so definitely come here for someone’s birthday, especially if they love sushi and mochi balls.
The interior of the restaurant has transformed; it looks way nicer now if you haven’t been here in the past month or two.
I am a fan!

I expected worse. So that is a good and a bad thing for Shin’s, I suppose.
The price is good because you can get specials on the side of the menu (at least for lunch. I don’t know about dinner). The rolls are pretty much what you would expect. Not great, not bad. Honestly, I wouldn’t come back here on my own volition but if a friend wanted to come here, I wouldn’t object.

This is my go-​to sushi restaurant when I’m craving sushi but not really wanting to pay too much. The sushi is so cheap and pretty yummy! Of course it’s not the best in SLO but you get what you pay for.
My favorites here are the spicy tuna cut roll and ninja cut roll. Cut rolls are half price! If you come here on your birthday, they play a techno Happy Birthday song, take a picture of you holding a frame, and give you a huge ball of mochi ice cream and some orange slices!
One other bad thing about Shin’s is the long waits. Every time my friends and I come here, we have to wait hella long to be seated, a long time to have our orders taken, a long time for our food to arrive, and a long time for the check to come!
If you don’t mind the possibility of a long wait, and you want cheap sushi, try Shin’s!

I really like this place. Their sushi is pretty good, and really pretty affordable. You can get a cut of good sushi rolls for about $ 4, but if you want some of the more specialized ones, they cost around $ 7-​$ 8. I haven’t tried too much of the other stuff on the menu, but I’ve sampled two of their dinner dishes and found them pretty tasty.
Avoid the house salads, though. They don’t give you very many vegetables — just some lettuce and cucumber doused in sesame seed dressing.

Poor college student? Yes.
Hungry? Yes.
Craving sushi when other places are closed? Yes.
Sushi at Shin’s? Priceless… errr… cheap!
Came here at around 5 pm to beat the packed dinner rush and it was great timing! Sushi here is so-​so but love their tempera ice cream… nom nom. Service was pretty good in so far as the waitress that kept filling up our drinks and checking up on us. I’m sure it gets hectic when it’s busy.
Order up on the half-​off sushi rolls and the shin’s mini special… yum.

Shin’s gets 4 stars because…
— it is my favorite go-​to sushi restaurant because.
— it is so cheap
— it has half price on cut rolls (LOAD UP ON THEM CUT ROLLS)
— you can bring friends here on their birthdays and they play funky techno Happy Birthday music, take a picture of you in a silly frame, and post it on the wall, give you a mochi and some orange slices
— of their crunch roll, rainbow roll, and ninja cut roll (my favorites)
If you want a chill place that will satisfy your sushi craving for a very pleasing price, then try Shin’s!