Tomodachi

We’ve only eaten here when Sushi Chef Mori is working. His skills are on point and he always serves the freshest fish. I wouldn’t expect anything less from someone who trained under Nobu. I always order the chirashi when we come here since I’m not into all those fancy rolls. I think you can tell a lot about a place based on how they serve their chirashi.

Three strikes. You’re out. The sushi is just ok. The wait staff is just horrible and will spoil anything good about the sushi. This is the third time (45 mins no food, ½ empty when we arrived) in as many years that we have tried this place, and every time the wait staff is an epic FAIL. Whatever their system, it doesn’t work. Period. There are other sushi choices in NP. Go there.

If you don’t go to another restaurant, go to this one. I’m VERY picky about eating sushi and this place is the reason why. The fish is so fresh and tender that I seem to compare all sushi with Tomadachi’s and no one seems to impress my taste buds the way Tomadachi does. It’s so healthy and flavorful that you can justify having one of their yummy desserts (like the frozen rice cake balls.)

Like other reviewers, we find the quality of the fish varies slightly. We find the fish is freshest on Friday and Saturday nights. My favorite is the 911 roll and of course we love the Tomodachi roll. Our son’s favorite roll is the Red Dragon. Our favorite fish are: Salmon, Albacore, and Yellowtail. We order Miso soup and edamame, which are a great beginning to the meal. We notice that when we order take out, the portions are smaller. The other aspect of this restaurant that varies is the service. Lately however, we’ve received great service, fast and attentive. We’ve been visiting this restaurant now for at least several years and overall we really enjoy our experience.

Since writing my first post over a year ago, the service has changed dramatically and they have stepped up their to-​go times. We love Tomodachi and I’m glad we gave them another opportunity.

I’m debating on giving Tomodachi four stars but I just can’t. In terms of the sushi and quality, wonderful. I tried Tomodachi on a whim with a friend the other week and it’s now my go-​to spot instead of Sushi Planet in Westlake. Ten times less crowded, no blaring music and light shows, and the quality never seems to be hit or miss.
But.
The only hours listed are on Unilocal.I got off work last night (Saturday) at 8:30 pm thinking Tomodachi closes at 10:30, as advertised. Have some salmon and a roll, am contemplating on another but having trouble deciding and then when I look up, the sushi chefs have already started packing everything away. All the fish was gone, everything in plastic bins wrapped with cellophane. Nobody asked me if I was finished or if I wanted anything else until they were standing there with nothing to do. Only then was I asked if I wanted more and I’m not going to be that jerk who asks you to get everything out again when you just packed it away. Clearly you gave me the sign that you are closing and no longer want my patronage because you want to go home.
So I’m still finishing eating and the chef asks the host to come over. He asks him when they are closing in a mildly rushed manner, and I kid you not the clock had only just gone 9 pm. On a Saturday. When your restaurant advertises that you are open until 10:30. The exact reason I went to Tomodachi instead of Sushi Planet, but had I known I would’ve been rushed out the door, I would’ve gone to Sushi Planet.
I paid my check and left still hungry and disappointed. I’ll be back, but obviously during an earlier time. I highly advise Tomodachi to update their business hours on Unilocal and to make sure their customers are satisfied BEFORE packing all the sushi and food away. I’ll gladly take my business elsewhere who happily lets me stay until I’m done and doesn’t silently shoo me out while looking at their watch.

called in for a takeout and got the seared tuna appetizer and a specialty roll.
It was outstanding. Everything about it approached perfection.
Nice job guys! Nice to find people that go the extra mile these days.

Once loved this place but now will not come back. I just came to this restaurant and there was no one at the front to greet anyone, and no staff walking around the restaurant but the restaurant had a couple people in it. Sitting at the front table with a Japanese family that look like they were waiting to order stuff but nobody has come to their table to take their order. The chef saw me waiting and did not send anyone out to greet me and get me a table. I stood there for 5 or 10 minutes no one ever came so I walked out. They obviously do not want the business if they don’t have someone ready to help their clients. :-(

This was our first time here and we were just in time for Happy Hour. Great deals on apps, sushi rolls, and drinks. Everything tasted excellent and was all priced at very reasonable prices. We will definitely be back soon. We would recommend the yellow tail sashimi appetizer and the 911 sushi roll.

This is the 2^nd time that we’ve been here and I’m disappointed at myself that I didn’t do a review.
One thing I didn’t like is that they have these «specials of the house» menus with no prices. I hate menu’s that have no prices, WTF??? I’m not going to ask every time how much is something.
We ordered the following:
Mushroom Medley ($ 14): This was one of the specials where the price wasn’t listed. It was really good, it had different fresh mushrooms from Enoki to Oyster. It was sautéed in Oyster sauce and it had some asparagus. The portions was pretty decent.
Maguro and Yellowtail Sushi: decent size pieces. They definitely melted in my mouth.
3 Fresh Oysters: it was OK size. I rather go to Redondo Beach and pick my own big fat oysters.
Yummy Roll: it has shrimp tempura, avocado, radish sprouts, cucumber with romaine and soy paper. This roll was definitely yummy. I highly recommend it.
911 Roll: If 911 meant to be spicy then it’s a non-​911 roll. But it was definitely tasty. It had spicy tuna, avocado, spicy oil and chili sauce. I definitely recommend this roll.
Masago sushi with quail egg: I love the way the yoke of the quail egg melts in my mouth. I don’t think quail egg is for everyone.
Spider Roll: it was OK… I’m used to spiders rolls that are 3″ in diameter. The one I got here was just 2“the most. I probably got a small soft shell crab.
Shrimp Tempura: It was OK, nothing special at all. The shrimp was OK size.
If I’m in the area again, I will definitely go here, but only if I’m craving Sushi.

We eat here quite frequently and have been sitting for 15 minutes and not one single person has been to our table. It is literally like we are invisible. Waiters at the tables next to us but they haven’t even stopped. Totally understaffed. We are getting up to leave. I doubt they’ll notice.

Is SUMO packed as usual? What if I were to tell you that Tomodachi’s sushi is just as good, and there are plenty of seats available right now? Seriously, we NEVER wait at Sumo anymore now that we have tried this place 8 times. I feel safe telling you that if you want some good sushi this place is a WIN.
Less trendy and hip, but more seats.
I have had one very bad time there, but it was one of those nights, that’s all. I’ve been back multiple times and things have been fine. That being said, I don’t go out on busy nights which is when the front of house seemed to crash, and I’ve never had any issues during the week. I cant really report too much on the fare aside from the wonderful sushi, I will leave that to more experienced diners. My favorite place for lunch too, and never a wait.

Looking for a good sushi place via Unilocal is hit-​or-​miss – unless you have sushi-​savvy friends, it’s quite difficult to judge the sushi quality because sushi always looks good in pictures, and not everyone has Jiro-​level expertise when it comes to sashimi (not that I’m claiming I do, hence you may want to read this review with caution as well). Further, a nice ambiance could mean anything from the characteristics of a well-​rounded restaurant with stellar food and a commitment to a memorable dining experience, to a place that disguises mediocre sushi in swanky interior décor.
So as I was Unilocaling sushi around Newbury Park, I settled on Tomodachi not really knowing what to expect. The random strip mall location didn’t help either, except that a large parking lot is always a plus (I come from SF where parking is a rare commodity). Fun fact: Tomodachi means «friends» in Japanese and indeed the servers are very friendly!
Tomodachi has a good mix of traditional sushi, gimicky sushi rolls, and non-​sushi items for those who come to sushi bars to eat chicken teriyaki. For 3 people, we mixed and matched a sashimi combo, a sushi combo, and the eel special roll. The presentation definitely exceeded my expectations: the sashimi combo had a beautiful orchid flower garnish and the artsy cucumber cut-​outs, the sushi was arranged on a wooden board with a leaf which added authenticity bonus points, and the eel roll had photogenic avocado layers and came in a little dish that was very food-​photography-​friendly (I’m sick of those long plates for sushi because it’s getting overused and also makes photos more difficult)
The fish quality is quite good and the sashimi slices are thick, but what stood out the most was the unagi nigiri which I was fortunate to sample from the chef’s sushi selection. Omg had I not been so stuffed from all the other food from my LA trip, I would have ordered multiple extra unagi nigiri. It was life-​changing – the eel was grilled to crispy perfection, synergized by the roasted seaweed and thick, flavorful eel sauce. If you are a unagi fan, get this. If you are not, still get this!!! The eel special roll was memorable as well. Although there was less eel due to the composition of the California roll base, the generous portions of avocado toppings add a satisfying buttery taste, and the magical eel sauce made it tastier than any caterpillar roll I’ve ever had – it really is a special eel special roll.
At ~$ 20/​person for excellent sushi and sashimi, Tomodachi ranks near the top of my list for sushi in Socal. If this review and my non-​Jiro-​level credentials didn’t convince you, look reaaallly hard at the unagi sushi in my photos and admire the unagi in its glory.

Oh it was soooo good until tonight.
I think they had more people in there than I have ever seen and man, were they drowning.
I think they actually dont have a front of house manager and if they are going to get popular they better get on it! It’s always been fine, and empty even on friday nights, but tonight they were at about 65% capacity and nothing was well timed and no one was there to care.
it was a bummer, dudes.
that being said, i ahd the best salmon skin hand roll of my life there a few weeks prior.

I have to write a review for this restaurant so that I can remember next time to come back if we choose Japanese food to eat.
We had dinner here last time & it was so good, we ordered Yellow tail and jalapeño, rainbow roll and tomodachi roll, all came out delicious and we ordered it tonight again.
Highly recommend.

Went for my mother’s birthday and the service was horrible. They were really busy and could have used another server or two. First off, our food came out piecemeal so not everyone could eat at the same time. Then we kept having to ask for water until finally I got up and served myself. My mom asked for green tea and it never came. Then much of our food was cold and we had to ask several times for ginger and wasabi, which they usually bring before you get your food. Finally, our miso soup came after our dinners!
I asked to talk to the managers and it was one of the sushi chefs. He just said someone had called in sick. He didn’t even give us a discount or offer us something free to make up for the horrible service. We have been many times, but will not return here again.

The best quality sushi around. (And we’ve had sushi just about everywhere) Nothing compares!
Our faves are the: Tomodachi Roll, Dynamite Roll, Salmon Sushi (so fresh and delish), Yellowtail Jalapeño, and the Spicy Lobster Hand Roll.
Funny, cool sushi chefs are always friendly and helpful.
Happiness is delicious sushi

Let me just start off by saying that everyone always swears they know «the best sushi place». I thought I did too *guilty* until I came to Tomodachi. Ever since my fiancé first introduced me to this little gem (a little less than a year ago) we have been coming here religiously every week (sometimes even 2 – 3 times a week!). Yes, it’s THAT good. Their fish is SO fresh — Tomo drives down to LA and gets it from the fish market every morning — and their service is top notch. It really feels like home every time we dine here.
I would recommend their yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño (absolute favorite!), spicy tuna hand rolls (yum), and you CAN’T leave without trying the Tomodachi roll.
Before you know it, you’ll find yourself saying that you swear you know the best sushi place ever! ;)

Within walking distance from my office, this place is firmly embedded into my lunch rotation. It is a newer building with clean and nice décor. I would say that the quality is not consistent and varies from visit to visit. But overall, I enjoy it and keep coming back for the convenience factor. However, if I wasn’t so close, not sure I would come so often as it is not exactly cheap. Overall I would call it good (occasionally great) sushi at acceptable prices with nice ambiance.

This is still my preferred lunch sushi spot, but I had to update my review as a reminder to myself that if I’m tempted by the ramen, I’m better off sticking to sushi.
I had the tonkatsu ramen today and it was a bit of a disappointment. I crave tonkatsu ramen. I want it to taste like the pig died in the pot and has been rendering into a delicious, creamy, porky dream for days. The broth today was weaker than I like. The noodles were too soft and overly starchy. There was only one piece of char sui in the bowl. There was egg, but I prefer a flavored egg.
So yes, I’m overly picky. I’m sure there are many fans of the ramen, so don’t let my peculiar particulars dissuade you from ordering. This is simply to remind myself to go with the lunch menu next time. I’ll be perfectly satisfied with some sushi, sashimi, or tempura.