Faherty Santana Row

You have to go at least once and decide for yourself. There are definitely items on the menu that are unique, non-traditional yet outstanding. \r \r Price: More than what you would usually pay for Sushi. \r \r Menu: Fancy and non-traditional. Ritsu rolls and Godzilla rolls were very good. \r \r The green tea cheesecake: YUMMY, you must have it. \r \r All and all it was a great experience, the fish was fresh and well prepared.\r \r Why the rating not up there? Well, I prefer the traditional Sushi places. No surprises. \r Pros: Great experience Cons: Non-traditional more

I can't remember the items that I've eaten here, but everything that I've tried here has been very good.... more

I can't remember the items that I've eaten here, but everything that I've tried here has been very good. The only problem is that it's pretty expen... more

The focus of Blowfish is not on its culinary skills, but instead on being trendy. First off, it's a loud environment -- do not expect to have casual conversations ... a bit of yelling was needed the night we took an out of town guest there.\r \r The service staff are trendy too (i.e. they are not afraid to wrinkle their nose at you). Not a big deal, but worth noting. \r \r The quality of food does not justify the price -- way overpriced, small portions, and not that tasty. There are many better and more affordable places in the area to get sushi.\r \r If you do decide to go, load up on sake first ... it will make the food slide down more easily. PROS: Makes you feel more trendy that you are CONS: The food, service, and atmosphere more

Call me a traditionalist, but when I go to a sushi restaurant my primary interest is the quality and diversity of sushi available. While Blowfish has a pretty wide selection, the sushi doesn't really stand out from any other local sushi restaurant in the area, and the prices are much higher than other places that equal its quality. I would recommend 4 or 5 other restaurants as being better for sushi than here. The interior is interesting, with video screens and a large bar, but the ambience is on the loud side, so I struggled to have any kind of conversation with people at my table. Wait staff were friendly, and suggested various specialities of the restaurant. more

I meet my friends here once every two weeks and the happy hour is a deal!!! I did dine-in but it was expensive so I head to the bar 5-7 and enjoy $5 sushi and $5 cocktails (at STraits it cost me $11 for the same lychee martini, and it tasted better at Blowfish!) They also give free edamone beans while you're drinking. more

Good Restaurants and Salons but little shopping selection. Wahoo's is still great a nice addition to Santana Row more

EXPENSIVE!!! My friend and I ate here and out bill came out to $102.00. My friend didn't eat the raw stuff. I order a couple of rolls and it's wasn't all that. I wasn't really impress with their food. \r The service was really good. She was really nice and friendly. \r I'll probably come to just have a drink but not for their food. They play house music which is a plus for me. Pros: Music Cons: $$$, Food not worth the price more

Blowfish looks more like a nightclub then a sushi place and some of the choices are a bit too contrived. Prices are high and quality is so-so. I would much rather go to TGI Sushi or even Sushi Boat. more

Sino Restaurant is an impressive modern NY style restaurant in the middle of San Jose! Finally, a 'chic' restaurant and lounge that delivers great ambiance, food, and service! I've been waiting for a sophisticated restaurant to knock me and my 'Sex and the City' friends off our feet, and now we are there every week-end! Pros: Ambiance, food, & service more

Lets set the record straight: Blowfish Sushi is not really a restaurant; its a money-extraction device. A place to blow money . on fish. Hmmmm. Now the name makes sense. On my visit, everything possible was done to ensure that we left with an empty wallet. \r \r My friend and I walked in on a Wednesday night and spotted two empty seats at the sushi bar. Could we take those? No, we were told, there would be 15-minute wait. Why dont you have a seat in the bar? But of course. After consuming $14 worth of alcohol (consisting of one beer and one mixed drink), we were escorted to the very same two open spots at the sushi bar we had originally asked about. \r \r Others have commented on the wall of noise that passes for ambiance at Blowfish. It turns the otherwise sublime experience of eating sushi into a shoutfest with your dinner mate. And the portions? No super-size-me here. The $11 appetizers we ordered would have left Ghandi hungry. When the first one came, I thought it was one of those tiny chefs caprices some restaurants serve before your food comes. Actual conversation -- Server: How did you find your appetizer? Me: I just looked under that sprig of parsley, and there it was! Server: Awesome. \r \r Did I say sushi? It really isnt sushi. Its fusion food. Remove some of that objectionable fish stuff, and replace it with cleverly prepared vegetables, and charge double for it. And thats the great thing about fusion cuisine, at least for the chef; it does not have to satisfy the persnickity taste of those who seek the real thing. It has all the appearance of being foreign and exotic, without actually being so. Indeed, there was very little we found that would offend the discriminating tastes of the Mid-Western American (example: filet mignon sushi with spinach and potato crust.) Sushi this is not. Its gimmick food, which is not to say its bad. But for those reviewers who claim, Its the best sushi I ever had, I suspect they dont really like real sushi, and what they ate was not really like real sushi. \r \r Blowfish deserves credit for being creative with its presentations. Most of the dishes truly looked gorgeous. They might have tasted gorgeous too, but somehow the auditory overload overwhelmed my other senses (like the one that usually says dont spend so much money on food). I can remember how everything looked, but not how it tasted. Perhaps that was the whole idea. \r \r It would be unfair to criticize Blowfish for simply being what it strives to be: A meet-market for 20-somethings who are more interested in impressing the dish they came with than enjoying the one they ordered. We left still hungry after blowing $137 on skimpy but attractive sushi-inspired food and a few beers. Which leads me to ask: Why spend money on Jenny Craig or Weight-Watchers, when you can get the same diet-sized portions at Blowfish, and only have to exercise your vocal chords?\r \r Bottom line: Blowfish Sushi is a wonderful spot if for those at a particular point in life; single, young, money to blow and dying to impress, or to be impressed, by image. If you want real sushi, or a conversation, go somewhere else. Pros: Attractively presented food; lots of pretty people Cons: Too loud and too expensive. more

Service was HORRIBLE. We barely saw our waiter. We had to go find someone when we were ready to leave. He spilled some food off of one of the plates, and just walked off. The music was so loud and pulsing, we couldnt hear anyone at our table (we had a party of 4). We had to shout or lean in. The food wasnt that great. The presentation was actually a little unappetizing. It was not worth the $ we spent. Very expensive. There is better sushi elsewhere for less $. We will never go back. Pros: Trendy, salad was good, ? nothing else Cons: bad service, bad food, very loud music more

I frequent the San Francisco Blowfish and it is much better. San Jose has a cool space, but does not have it together at all. The service was horrible. Our party of 6 was largely ignored, orders took a long while to get, the waiter spilled my glass of sake and did not offer to replace, etc. In the end, there was an automatic 20% tip on the bill, which is not normal for under 8 people. Plus at best the service mertited 5%. I will not return to the San Jose Blowfish and stick to San Francisco. Pros: Dark, cool space Cons: Noisy, poor service, average food more

Sushi tastes like something you'd buy in a grocery store. By the time the waiter got around to bringing Spider and Animal Style rolls they were cold. So was the Unagi. \r \r Want same quality for dirt cheap, go to Mitsuwa Supermarket, or for really great sushi go to "Sushi Totoro" on Saratoga Ave in West San Jose. more

Sushi very below average. Slow service. By the time the waiter got aroung to bringing Spider and Animal Style Rolls they were cold, so was the Unagi (tasted like something you'd buy in a grocery store). Want really good sushi for about the same price, go to ""Sushi Totoro"" on Saratoga Ave in West San Jose. more

with decent but not terriffic sushi. Still worth a trip. more

I was so happy to find out that one of our favorite sushi restaurants was opening closer to home, but don't confuse their San Francisco location with this one. The restaurant is beautiful, the drinks are great and so is the music, but the food is BAD and expensive. Another typical restaurant at Santana Row where it's all look and no substance. If you want to be seen, be seen at the bar and drink away. The cocktails are great, but the food is a terrible excuse for sushi. Pros: Cocktails, Decor, Music Cons: Food, Food, Food more

It looks very modern outside and it also won awards before. However, my friends and I find this restaurant way too expansive for the food we get. I mean it' has nice atmosphere there since it's located at Santana Row. I think they are pretty creative at the sushi selection but it's just too small for each bite, not to talk about how much it costs for each little sushi. It might be a good place for hang out and drinks but I would not recommend eating sushi or japanese food there. more

I love the fusion of hipster scene and restuarant, but just don't expect great food. The bar/restaurant is more bar than restaurant. The place is hip-hoping with a lively young crowd that makes the ambiance fun. A great place to grab a happy hour drink. But if you're craving for great sushi, I would find another place. As for the food, the sushi is just average. Menu is nothing out of the ordinary, although I hear from the waitress the restaurant serves a distant cousin of the deadly blow fish. Maybe she's just blowing hot air, who knows. Pros: Lively environment, young crowd, fun Cons: average sushi, crowded more

This place is very trendy and always has a live DJ spinning. It is not really a family atmosphere. If you want to kick back and enjoy some good sushi and sake bombs, this is the place to go in San Jose. If you want something different, this place is it. more